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ST. AMBROSE

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AND CAIN AND ABEL

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THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH

A NEW TRANSLATION

VOLUME 42

THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH

A NEW TRANSLATION

EDITORIAL BOARD

Hermigild Dressler, O.F.M.
Quincy College
Editorial Director

Robert P. Russell, O.S.A.
Villanova University

William R. Tongue

The Catholic University of America

Thomas P. Halton

The Catholic University of America

Sister M. Josephine Brennan, I.H.M.
Marywood College

FORMER EDITORIAL DIRECTORS

Ludwig Schopp, Roy J. Deferrari, Bernard M. Peebles

SAINT AMBROSE

HEXAMERON, PARADISE
AND CAIN AND ABEL

Translated by
JOHN J. SAVAGE

The Catholic University of America Press
Washington, D. C.

Nihil Obstat:

JOHN A. GOODWINE

Censor Librorum

IMPRIMATUR:

* FRANCIS CARDINAL SPELLMAN

June 17, 1961

Archbishop of New York

The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet
is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those
who have granted the nihil obstat and imprimatur agree with the content,
opinions, or statements expressed.

Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 77-081354
ISBN 8132-0042-3

THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS
All rights reserved
Reprinted 1977
Reprinted 1985
First paperback reprint 2003

INTRODUCTION

he circumstances of the life of St. Ambrose up to
374, when he became bishop of Milan, are well
known. The date of his birth is usually given as
either 333 or 340. His father was praefectus praetorio
Galliarum, with headquarters at Trier. After her husband’s
early death, the widowed mother brought her three children
to Rome. There, Ambrose, the youngest of the children,
attended the rhetorical schools in preparation for a public
career. He attained the office of consul about 370, with two
northern provinces under his control. His election as bishop
of Milan on the death of the Arian bishop Auxentius
followed a few years later. His affability, his sense of justice,
and his accessibility endeared him to everyone, emperors
and commoners alike. His days were spent in administrative
work. Still, by diligent application he was able to advance
in learning, like many a busy priest or professor today, as he
prepared himself for his frequent public appearances.1

In the intervening period between his advancement to the
office of bishop and the delivery of the nine homilies on

1 See De officiis ministrorum 1.1.4: Discendum igitur mihi simul et
docendum est, quoniam non vacavit ante discere.

SAINT AMBROSE

The Six Days of Creation / probably during Holy Week in
387, 3 Ambrose devoted himself to such preliminary studies
as Paradise and Cain and Abel. The precise date of the
sermons on creation is still a matter of dispute. Bardenhewer4
because of a reference in Hexameron (3.1.3) to a complete
victory over Arianism, places the work in a period not before
389.

For the homilies on the creation Ambrose is much in¬
debted to the celebrated work on the same subject by his
Greek contemporary, St. Basil, who also rose to the office
of bishop. Basil’s sermons were delivered about seventeen
years previous to those given by his Latin admirer and, like
those of Ambrose, in the course of one week in Lent.
Ambrose does not actually mention Basil’s name in the text
of his work, but he refers in one passage (4.11) to the
authority of one ‘who preceded him in time and in ability.’
It would be a mistake to assume that Ambrose’s work is
merely a translation. It is, in fact, a free adaptation in a
Latin dress, filled with reminiscences from Ambrose’s wide
reading in the Latin classics which he seems to have har¬
bored in his memory since his student days in Rome. The
concluding part of his book on the work of the sixth day
owed much to the author’s reading in medical writers such
as Galen. Ambrose’s remarks on the symbolism of the struc-

2 Manuscript tradition favors the spelling 'Exameron’ rather than the
usual 'Hexameron’ (cf. C. Schenkl, CSEL 32.1.1) . Each of the six
books is concerned with the special work of creation completed on
each of the six days. St. Ambrose devoted two homilies each to the
work of the first, third, and fifth days, making a total of nine
homilies altogether.

3 It is interesting to note that this date coincides with the dates given
for St. Augustine's baptism at the hands of St. Ambrose. See F. D.
Dudden, The Life and Times of St. Ambrose II (Oxford 1935) 713,
for support of this date for Hexameron.

4 O. Bardenhewer, Geschichte der altkirchlichen Litem'tur III (2nd
ed., Freiburg B. 1923) 498-510. Cf. B. Altaner, Patrologie (2nd ed.
Freiburg i. B.) 333.

INTRODUCTION

ture of the human body have a striking pertinence even
today. Ambrose’s dependence on Basil for most of his exposi¬
tion should not cause us to shut our eyes to the importance
of his achievement in this one of his major works. Here we
are introduced to the great tradition of hexameron literature
in the West. To say with Robbins that this work of St.
Ambrose ‘has little independent value’ is to overlook its
significance as a literary masterpiece.5

Following in the footsteps of his great model, Ambrose
has made these sermons into a series of Christian and
humanistic observations on nature and man in their relations
to their Creator, who formed them out of no pre-existing
material. In elaborating this thought from the manifold body
of evidence presented by the Scriptures, Ambrose has in
addition resorted to over a hundred reminiscences from
his beloved Latin- poet. Virgil’s theocentric philosophy as
expressed especially in his Georgies became an object of
fascination to his fellow countryman — one might almost say
his fellow townsman, for Virgil spent part of his boyhood
as a student in Milan. Ambrose has something of the spirit of
the Roman poet who also marveled at the wonders of the
created world in language that is often full of charm, ‘All
the charm of all the Muses often flowering in a lonely word.’
Many of these ‘lonely words’ Ambrose embedded in his
mosaic on creation. Of 103 reminiscences of Virgil, about
one-half are reflections of passages in the Georgies; the
Aeneid supplied over forty; and there are eight passages that
suggest that Ambrose held the Eclogues in some esteem.6

As we might suspect from his De officiis ministrorum,
modeled on Cicero’s well-known work, the most popular

5 F. E. Robbins, The Hexaemeral Literature (Chicago 1912) n. 58.

6 Cf. Sister Mary D. Diederich, Vergil in the Works of St. Ambrose
Washington 1931) ; Sister M. Theresa of the Cross Springer, Nature
Imagery in the Works of St. Ambrose (Washington 1931).

SAINT AMBROSE

viii

prose author with Ambrose was Cicero. One is not surprised,
therefore, that there are about twenty reflections from Cicero
in Hexameron, taken largely from the commendation given
to agricultural pursuits in De senectute. The Lucretian
phrases which appear here and there in Hexameron seem to
be part of the common stock of scientific terms to which the
Roman poet gave currency. We are somewhat taken by
surprise to see how Ambrose has stored in his mind some
half-score of Horace’s happy phrases. Sallust, so popular in
the Christian schools for his moral maxims, furnishes three
clear reflections. Of course, the majority of citations or
reminiscences are from the Old and New Testaments, being
in Hexameron at the ratio of five or six to one of the non-
Christian authors. Nevertheless, this proportion is a striking
one. Here we find ourselves firmly entrenched in the great
tradition of Christian humanism. We are reminded of the
suavitas or charm which Augustine felt was the characteristic
of the homilies of Ambrose.7

This and the following two minor works of St. Ambrose
have never before been translated into English. There is no
question that a work such as Hexameron, because of its in¬
trinsic worth and because of its unusual influence on later
literature and art, deserves to appear in an English dress.8
This book, with its many poetic overtones, is a challenge to
any translator. The precious bits which the late E. K. Rand
rendered into choice English in his Founders make us wish
that he had applied his skill to the work as a whole. Some
of the strikingly poetic passages in Hexameron overflowed

7 See the brief but penetrating statements on the humanism of St.
Ambrose in Gerald Groveland Walsh, Medieval Humanism (New York
1942) 27-28.

8 Cf. Pierre de Labriolle, Histoire de la litterature latine chritienne
(Paris 1947) 409. Ambrose, notwithstanding his ties with classical
prose style, has set the pattern for the future, if not in prose, at
least in verse; see M. P. Cunningham, Studies in Philology 52 (1955)
509-514.

INTRODUCTION

into Ambrose’s famous hymns, especially the famous ‘Aeterne
rerum Conditor.’ This hymn can be looked upon as either a
prelude or a postlude to his prose work on creation.

The two minor works, the translation of which appears in
this volume, reflect Ambrose’s wide reading in the allegorical
interpretation of much of the Old Testament, found especial¬
ly in several volumes by Philo Judaeus of Alexandria.9 The
rhetorical style of these two works suggest that, like the
homilies on creation, they were delivered orally and, perhaps,
also recorded by a notarius .10

The homily Paradise is an early work of St. Ambrose.
This is clear from a statement he makes in a letter addressed
to Sabinus.11 In this letter, which was written soon after the
publication of Hexameron (c. 389), Ambrose refers to
Paradise in terms that are somewhat derogatory, stating
that it was written many years ago before he had acquired
experience as a bishop. Since he became bishop of Milan in
374, it may be conjectured that Paradise was written a
year or two later, that is, about 375. It would be difficult to
determine what changes or modifications, if any, the author
would have made in the treatment of this subject at a time
when, presumably, his judgment was more mature. Ambrose,
in the course of his letter to Sabinus, seems to emphasize
what he has already discussed in his homily (3.13 and 11.57)
that Paradise should not be regarded as a place, but as an
aspect of the higher part of our nature. Ambrose was well
acquainted with the allegorical interpretation of the Old
Testament found in the works of Philo Judaeus, although he
mentions the name of this influential writer but once (4.25).
St. Ambrose seems to have planned Cain and Abel as a

9 Philo with an English translation by F. H. Colson and G. H. Whitaker
I-VIII (London and New York 1929) .

10 See Hexameron 5.12.36.

11 Letter 43; it is translated as Letter 25 by Sister Mary Beyenka
(Fathers of the Church 26) 129-134.

SAINT AMBROSE

continuation of Paradise. If the date 375 is accepted for the
latter work, then Cain and Abel was written soon after.
Both of these minor works follow a rhetorical pattern
characteristic of the ‘homily.’ St. Ambrose is committed to
the allegorical mode of interpretation laid down by Philo,
especially in De sacrificiis Abelis et Caini.12 Although he is
thus not the first to introduce this method of interpretation
in the West, he has set upon it his imposing stamp — a stamp
which is conspicuous in medieval art and literature.

The translation has been based principally on the critical
edition of C. Schenkl, CSEL 32.1, for Hexameron (3-261),
for the De Paradiso (267-336) and for De Cain et Abel
(339-409). The valuable Benedictine edition of 1686-90 as
reprinted in Migne, PL 14 (123-274; 275-314; 315-341),
has been consulted. For the sake of arousing the interest of
the reader the translator has ventured to break up the
longer paragraphs.

The citations from Scripture conform for the most part
to Challoner’s revision of the Rheims-Douay translation for
the Old Testament. For the New Testament and for Genesis,
except where St. Ambrose’s quotations represent a definite
departure from the Vulgate, the new translations under¬
taken under the auspices of the Confraternity of Christian
Doctrine have been used. The Hexameron , since it pre¬
supposed the text and Scriptural quotation of St. Basil’s
work on the same subject, presented a special problem. So
many departures from the Vulgate appeared in these cita¬
tions of St. Ambrose that is seemed unnecessary to refer to
the Septuagint version in so many individual cases.

12 Philonis Alexandrini opera quae supersunt I, ed. L. Cohn (Berlin

1896) 202-257. The extent of Ambrose’s dependence on Philo can be

gauged by consulting the extensive list of parallels cited by C.

Schenkl in his critical edition, CSEL 32.1 3-261, 339-409

INTRODUCTION

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Editions and Translations:

Cohn, L., and P. Wendland, Philonis Alexandrini opera quae
supersunt (Berlin 1896) I 1-60 (De opificio mundi ) ; 61-169
( Legum allegoriae) .

Colson, F. H., and G. H. Whitaker, Philo, text with translation into
English (London and New York 1929) I (De opificio mundi;
Legum allegorize) ; supplementary Vol. I. ed. R. Marcus
(Cambridge, Mass. 1953) ( Quaestiones in Genesim) .

Frisch, J. du, et N. le Nourry, Sancti Ambrosii episcopi opera, 2 v.
(Paris 1686-1690) .

Giet, S., Basile de Cesaree, homelies sur I’Hexaemeron, Greek text
with French translations (Paris 1949) .

Migne, J. P., Patrologiae Latinae cursus completus (3rd reprint of
Benedictine edition) , (Paris 1845) 14.123-274; 275-314; 315-341.

Niederhuber. J. E„ Ambrosius von Mailand Exameron, trans. into
German, Bibliothek der Kirchenvater I (Kempten and Munich
1914).

Pasteris, E., San Ambrogio, L’esamerone ossia dell’ origine e natura
delle cose, text with translation, into Italian, Corona Patrum
Salesiana ser. Lat. 4 (Turin 1937) .

Schenkl, C., Sancti Ambrosii Opera, Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesia
sticorum Latinorum 32.1 (Vienna 1896) 3-261; 267-336; 339-409.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Secondary Works:

Altaner, B., Patrologie (2nd ed., Freiburg i. B. 1950) .

Bardenhewer, O., G eschichte der altkirchlichen Literatur III (2nd
ed, Freiburg i. B. 1923) .

Breiher, E., “Philo Judaeus,” Catholic Encyclopedia XII (New York
1911) 23-25.

Diederich, Sister Mary D., Vergil in the Works of St. Ambrose
(Washington 1931) .

Dudden, F. H., The Life and Times of St. Ambrose, 2 v. (Oxford
1935).

Labriolle, Pierre de, Histoire de la litterature latine chretienne
(3rd ed., Paris 1947) .

Rand, E. K., Founders of the Middle Ages (Cambridge, Mass. 1928) .

Springer, Sister M. Theresa of the Cross, Nature Imagery in the
Works of St. Ambrose (Washington 1931) .

Walpole, A. S., Early Latin Hymns (Cambridge 1922) 16-114.

Wolfson, H. A., Philo I (Cambridge, Mass. 1947) 295-324, (Creation) ;
424-462 (Free Will).

SAINT AMBROSE

REXAMERON, PARADISE
AND CAIN AND ABEL

Translated by
JOHN J. SAVAGE
Professor Emeritus of Classics
Fordham University

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THE SIX DAYS OF CREATION

BOOK ONE: THE FIRST DAY

THE FIRST HOMILY

Chapter 1

such an extent have men’s opinions varied that
■Kg u| some, like Plato and his pupils, have established
figy UKa three principles for all things; that is, God, Idea,
and Matter. The same philosophers hold that these principles
are uncreated, incorruptible, and without a beginning. They
maintain that God, acting not as a creator of matter but as
a craftsman who reproduced a model, that is, an Idea, made
the world out of matter. This matter, which they call uXr],
is considered to have given the power of creation to all
things. The world, too, they regard as incorruptible, not
created or made. Still others hold opinions such as those
which Aristotle considered worthy of being discussed with
his pupils. These postulate two principles, matter and form.

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SAINT AMBROSE

and along with these a third principle which is called
‘efficient,’ which Aristotle considered to be sufficient to bring
effectively into existence what in his opinion should be
initiated.

(2) What, therefore, is more absurd than to link the
eternity of the work of creation with the eternity of God the
omnipotent? Or to identify the creation itself with God so
as to confer divine honors on the sky, the earth, and the
sea? From this opinion there proceeds the belief that parts
of the world are gods. Yet on the constitution of the world
itself there is no small difference of opinion among philo¬
sophers.

(3) Pythagoras maintains that there is one world. Others
say that the number of worlds is coundess, as was stated
by Democritus, whose treatment of the natural sciences has
been granted the highest authority by the ancients.1 That the
world always was and always will be is the claim of Aristotle.
On the other hand, Plato ventures to assert that the world
did not always exist, but that it will always exist. A great
many writers, however, give us evidence from their works
that they believe that the world did not always exist and
that it will not exist forever.

(4) How is it possible to arrive at an estimate of the
truth amid such warring opinions? Some, indeed, state that
the world itself is God, inasmuch as they consider that a
divine mind seems to be within it, while others maintain
that God is in parts of the world; others still, that He is in
both — in which case it would be impossible to determine
what is the appearance of God, or what is His number,
position, life, or activity. If this evaluation of the world be
followed, we have to understand God to be without sense,
something which rotates, is round, is aflame, and impelled

1 Cf. Cicero, De natura deorum 1.120.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

by certain movements — something driven, not by its own
force, but by something external to it.2

Chapter 2

(5) Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Moses, a
holy man, foresaw that these errors would appear among
men and perhaps had already appeared. At the opening of
his work he speaks thus: ‘In the beginning God created
heaven and earth.’1 He linked together the beginnings of
things, the Creator of the world, and the creation of matter
in order that you might understand that God existed before
the beginning of the world or that He was Himself the
beginning of all things. So in the Gospel, in answer to those
who were inquiring of Him ‘Who art thou?’ He replied:
‘I am the beginning, I who speak with you.’2 All this was
that you might know that He gave to all created things their
beginnings and that He is the Creator of the world — not one
who imitates matter under the guidance of some Idea, from
which He formed His work, not in accordance with His
will, but in compliance with a self-proposed model. Fittingly,
too, Moses says: ‘In the beginning He created,’ in order that,
where He had made clear the effect of the operation already
completed, before giving an indication of its having been
begun, He might thus express the incomprehensible speed of
the work.

(6) Our attention should be drawn to the person who
uttered this statement. He was, of course, Moses, a man
learned in all the science of the Egyptians. He was rescued

2 Ibid. 2.46.

1 Gen. 1.1.

2 John 8.25 (Clementine Vulgate) .

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SAINT AMBROSE

from the river by the daughter of Pharao, who cherished
him as if he were her own son and desired that he be trained
and instructed in all phases of secular learning with aid
furnished from the royal treasury. Although he received
his name from water,3 he did not consider as true the
hypothesis held by Thales, that all things are derived from
water. And although he had been educated in the royal
palace, he preferred, because of his love of justice, to under¬
go voluntary exile rather than, because of his love of justice,
to be a servant of sin in the midst of pleasure as a high
official at a tyrant’s court. Finally, before he was called to
the task of liberating his people, he fell into disgrace, urged
on, as he was, by his natural zeal for what is right to the
extent of avenging the wrong done to his fellow countrymen.
Wherefore, he tore himself away from pleasure and, shun-
ing all the excitement of the royal palace, retired to a
secluded spot in Ethiopia. There, removed from all other
cares, he gave himself wholly to divine contemplation, in
order that he might behold the glory of God face to face.
This is in accord with the testimony of Scripture, that ‘there
arose no greater prophet in Israel like unto Moses, whom
the Lord knew face to face.’4 He spoke to God the highest,
not in a vision nor in dreams, but mouth to mouth. Plainly
and clearly, not by figures nor by riddles,5 there was be¬
stowed on him the gift of the divine presence.

( 7 ) And so Moses opened his mouth and uttered what the
Lord spoke within him, according to the promise He made
to him when He directed him to go to King Pharao: ‘Go
therefore and I will open thy mouth and instruct thee what
thou shouldst speak.’6 For, if he had already accepted from
God what he should say concerning the liberation of the

3 Cf. Exod. 2.10.

4 Deut. 34.10.

5 Cf. Num. 12.6-8.

6 Exod. 4.12.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

people, how much more should you accept what He should
say concerning heaven? Therefore, ‘not in the persuasive
words of wisdom,’ not in philosophical fallacies, ‘but in the
demonstration of the Spirit and power,’7 he has ventured to
say as if he were a witness of the divine work: ‘In the
beginning God created heaven and earth.’ He did not look
forward to a late and leisurely creation of the world out of
a concourse of atoms. He did not await a pupil, so to speak,
of matter, who, by contemplating it, could fashion a world.
Rather, he thought that God should be declared to be its
Author. Being a man full of wisdom, he noticed that the
substances and the causes of things visible and invisible were
contained in the divine mind. He did not hold, as the
philosophers teach, that a stronger conjunction of atoms
furnished the cause of their continuous duration. He pointed
out that those who give such tiny and unsubstantial first
principles to heaven and earth were just weaving a web
like a spider’s. How could these be joined together by chance
as well as being dissolved in the same planless way, without
a firm basis in the divine power of their Ruler? No wonder
that they know not their Ruler who know not their God, by
whom all things are ruled and governed. Let us follow him
who knew both the Author and the Ruler, and let us not
be led astray by vain opinions.

Chapter 3

(8) ‘In the beginning,’ he said. What a good arrange¬
ment that he should first assert what these men are accus¬
tomed to deny, that they may realize, too, that there was a
beginning to the world, lest men be of the opinion that the

7 1 Cor. 2.4.

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SAINT AMBROSE

world was without a beginning. For this reason David, too,
in speaking of ‘heaven, earth, and sea,’ says: ‘Thou hast
made all things in wisdom.’1 He [Moses] gave, therefore, a
beginning to the world ; he gave also to the creature infirmity,
lest we believe him to be without a beginning, uncreated,
and still partaking in the divine essence. And fittingly he
added: ‘He created, lest it be thought there was a delay in
creation. Furthermore, men would see also how incompar¬
able the Creator was who completed such a great work in
the briefest moment of His creative act, so much so that
the effect of His will anticipated the perception of time.
No one saw Him in the act of creation; they saw only the
created work before them. Where, therefore, was there a
delay, since you may read: ‘For He spoke and they were
made; He commanded and they were created’?2 He who
in a momentary exercise of His will completed such a
majestic work employed no art or skill so that those things
which were not were so quickly brought into existence;
the will did not outrun the creation nor the creation, the will.

(9) You admire the work, you seek for a Creator who
granted a beginning to such a great work, who so speedily
made it? He [Moses] gives us the information immediately,
saying that ‘God created heaven and earth.’ You have the
name of the Creator; you ought not to have any doubts.
He it is in whose name Melchisedech blessed Abraham, the
forefather of many peoples, saying: ‘Blessed be Abram by
the most high God, creator of heaven and earth.’3 And
Abraham believed God and said: ‘I raise my hand to the
Lord God most high, creator of heaven and earth.’4 You
see that this was not an invention made by man, but an

1 Ps. 103.24.

2 Ps. 32.9; 148.5.

3 Gen. 14.19.

4 Gen. 14.22.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

announcement made by God. For God is Melchisedech,
that is, ‘He is king of peace and justice, having neither the
beginning of days nor end of life.’5 No wonder, therefore,
that God, who is without end, gave a beginning to all
things, so that what was not began to exist. No wonder that
God, who contains all things in His power and incompre¬
hensible majesty, created the things that are visible, since
He also created those things that are not visible. Who would
assert that the visible is more significant than the invisible,
‘for the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that
are not seen are eternal’?6 Who can doubt that God, who
spoke by the Prophets, created these things, saying: ‘Who
hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and
weighed the heavens with his palm? Who hath poised with
three fingers the bulk of the earth and weighed the moun¬
tains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who hath under¬
stood the sense of the Lord? Or who hath been his
counsellor; or who hath taught him?’7 Of Him we also read
elsewhere: ‘For he holds the circuit of the earth and made
the earth as nothing.’8 And Jeremias says: ‘The gods that
have not made heaven and earth will perish from the earth
and from among those places that are under heaven. He
that made the earth by his power and prepared the world
by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens at his knowl¬
edge and a multitude of waters in the heaven.’ And he
added: ‘Man is become a fool for knowledge.’9 How can
one who pursues the corruptible things of the world and
thinks that from these things he can comprehend the truth
of divine nature not become a fool as he makes use of the
artifices of sophistry?

5 Heb. 7.2,3.

6 2 Cor. 4.18.

7 Isa. 40.12,13.

8 Isa. 40.22,23.

9 Jer. 10.11-14.

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SAINT AMBROSE

(10) Since, therefore, so many oracles are heard in which
God gives testimony that He made the world, do not then
believe that it was without a beginning because the world
is said to be, as it were, a sphere in which there would
appear to be no beginning. And when it thunders, every¬
thing is stirred around about us as if in a whirling movement,
so that one cannot easily comprehend either where the
vortex begins or where it ends. The reason is this: To
perceive by one’s senses the beginning of a circle is con¬
sidered to be impossible. You cannot discover the beginning
of a sphere or from what point the round disk of the moon
begins or where it ends in its monthly wanings. Not even
if you do not understand it yourself does this phenomenon
cease to begin or in any way to come to an end. If you were
to draw a circle with ink or pencil or with a compass, you
could not easily detect with your eyes or mentally recall
after an interval of time the point where you began or where
you completed your circle. Yet you are conscious that you
made a beginning and also came to an end. The reason is
this: What has escaped the senses has not caused the truth
to be undermined.

Again, what has a beginning also has an end; it is
obvious that which has an end also has a beginning. The
Saviour Himself tells us in the Gospel that there is to be an
end of the world, saying: ‘For this world as we see it is
passing away’; and ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but
my words will not pass away’; and further on: ‘Behold I
am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the
world.’10

(11) How, then, can philosophers maintain that the
world is co-eternal with God and make the created equal
with the Creator of all things? How can they hold that the
material body of the world should be linked with the

10 I Cor. 7.31; Matt. 24.35; 28.20.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

invisible and unapproachable divine nature? — so much the
more, since, according to their own teachings, they cannot
deny that an object whose parts are subject to corruption
and mutability must as a whole be subject to the same in¬
fluences which its own separate parts undergo.

Chapter 4

Therefore, He who uttered these words, ‘In the beginning
God created heaven and earth,’ teaches us that there is a
beginning. (12) The term ‘beginning’ has reference either to
time or to number or to foundation. We see that this is true in
the construction of a house: the foundation is the beginning.
We know, too, from the authority of Scripture that one can
speak of a beginning of a conversion or of a falling away.1
The beginning of a work of art lies in the craft itself, which
is the source of the individual skills of a series of craftsmen.
There is also a beginning to good works. This consists in a
most commendable purpose or end, as, for example, acts
of charity have their source in deeds which are done to do
honor to God, for we are especially urged to come to the
aid of our fellow men. The term ‘beginning’ is applied also
to the power of God. It is concerned with the category of
time when we deal with the question of the time when God
made heaven and earth, that is, at the commencement of the
world, when it began to come into being, in the words of
Wisdom: ‘When he prepared the heaven I was present.’2
If we apply the term to number, then it is right that you
understand that at first He created heaven and earth; next,
hills, regions, and the boundaries of the inhabitable world.
Or we may understand that before He created the rest of

1 Wisd. 14.12-14.

2 Prov. 8.27.

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SAINT AMBROSE

visible creatures, day, night, fruit-bearing trees, and the
various kinds of animals He created heaven and earth. But,
if you apply the term to foundation, you will see, if you read
the words of Wisdom, that the beginning is the foundation:
‘When he made the foundations of the earth, I was with
him forming all things.’3

There is also the beginning of good instruction, as it is
said: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,’4
since he who fears the Lord departs from error and directs
his ways to the path of virtue. Except a man fear the Lord,
he is unable to renounce sin.

(13) In like manner, also, we can understand this state¬
ment: ‘This month shall be to you the beginning of months.’5
although that statement is to be interpreted merely of time,
because there is reference to the Pasch of the Lord, which
is celebrated at the beginning of spring. Therefore, He
created heaven and earth at the time when the months
began, from which time it is fitting that the world took its
rise. Then there was the mild temperature of spring, a season
suitable for all things.

Consequently, the year, too, has the stamp of a world
coming to birth, as the splendor of the springtime shines
forth all the more clearly because of the winter’s ice and
darkness now past. The shape of the circles of years to come
has been given form by the first dawn of the world. Based
on that precedent, the succession of years would tend to
arise, and at the commencement of each year new seedlings
would be produced, as the Lord God has said: ‘Let the
earth bring forth the green herb and such as may seed, and
the fruit tree, yielding fruit after its kind. And immediately
the earth produced the green herb and the fruit-bearing

3 Prov. 8.29,30.

4 Prov. 1.7.

5 Exod. 12.2.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

tree.’6 By this very fact both the constant mildness of divine
Providence and the speed in which the earth germinates
favor for us the hypothesis of a vernal period. For, although
it was in the power of God to ordain creation at any time
whatsoever and for earthly nature to obey, so that amid
winter’s ice and frost earth might bear and produce fruits
under the fostering hand of His celestial power, He refrained.
It was not in His eternal plan that the land held fast in the
rigid bonds of frost should suddenly be released to bear
fruits and that blooming plants should mingle with frosts
unsightly.7

Wherefore, in order to show that the creation of the
world took place in the spring, Scripture says: ‘This month
shall be to you the beginning of months, it is for you the
first in the months of the year,’8 calling the first month the
springtime. It was fitting that the beginning of the year be
the beginning of generation and that generation itself be
fostered by the gentler breezes. The tender germs of matter
would be unable to endure exposure to the bitter cold of
winter or to the torrid heat of summer.9

(14) At the same time, one may note, since it belongs
here by right, that the entrance into this generation and
into this way of life seems to have occurred at the time when
the regular transition from this generation to regeneration
takes place.

The sons of Israel left Egypt in the season of spring and
passed through the sea, being baptized in the cloud and in
the sea, as the Apostle said.10 At that time each year the
Pasch of Jesus Christ is celebrated, that is to say, the passing
over from vices to virtues, from the desires of the flesh to

6 Gen. 1.11.

7 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 2.330-345; Lucretius 5.783-792.

8 Exod. 12.2.

9 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 2.343-345.

10 Cf. 1 Cor. 10.1.

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SAINT AMBROSE

grace and sobriety of mind, from the unleavened bread of
malice and wickedness to truth and sincerity.11 Accordingly,
the regenerated are thus addressed: ‘This month shall be to
you the beginning of months; it is for you the first in the
months of the year.’

The person who is baptized leaves behind and abandons
in a spiritual sense that prince of the world, Pharao, when
he says: ‘I renounce thee, devil, both thy works and thy
power.’12 No longer will he serve him, either by the earthly
passions of his body or by the errors of a corrupt mind. On
this occasion every evil deed of his sinks to the bottom like
lead. F . otected as he is by good works on his right and his
left, he endeavors to cross over the waters of this life with
step untainted.

Scripture also says in the book called Numbers: ‘Amalec,
the beginning of nations, whose seed will be destroyed.’13
And, of course, Amalec is not the first of all nations. Amalec,
in fact, is interpreted to mean the king of the wicked and by
the wicked it is intended to mean the Gentiles. There is no
reason why we should not accept him as one whose seed
shall perish. His seed are the wicked and the unfaithful, to
whom the Lord says: ‘You are the voice of your father the
devil.’14

(15) A beginning in a mystical sense is denoted by the
statement: ‘I am the first and last, the beginning and the
end.’15 The words of the Gospel are significant in this con¬
nection, especially wherein the Lord, when asked who He
was, replied: ‘I am the beginning, I who speak with you.’10
In truth, He who is the beginning of all things by virtue of

11 Cf. 1 Cor. 5.8.

12 John 14.30.

13 Num. 24.20.

14 Cf. John 8.44.

15 Apoc. 1.8.

16 John 8.25 (Clementine Vulgate) .

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

His divinity is also the end, because there is no one after
Him. According to the Gospel, the beginning of the ways of
God is in His work, so that the race of men might learn by
Him to follow the ways of the Lord and to perform the works
of God.17

Therefore, in this beginning, that is, in Christ, God
created heaven and earth, because ‘All things were made
through him and without him was made nothing that was
made.’18 Again: ‘In him all things hold together and he is
the firstborn of every creature.’19 Moreover, He was before
every creature because He is holy. The firstborn indeed are
holy, as ‘the firstborn of Israel,’20 not in the sense of being
before all, but because the firstborn are holier than the rest.
The Lord is holy above all creatures for the very reason that
He assumed a body. He alone is without sin and without
vanity, while all ‘creation was made subject to vanity.’21

(16) We can also understand that the statement, ‘In the
beginning God created heaven and earth,’ has reference to
a period. The beginning of a journey is not yet a completion,
nor is the beginning of a building yet the finished house.

Finally, others have interpreted the Greek phrase £V
K£(J>a\cdcp as if in capite, by which is meant that in a brief
moment the sum of the operation was completed. Then there
are also those who interpret the beginning not in a temporal
sense, but as something before time. Hence, they use the
Greek word Kecp&Xcciov in the sense of its Latin equivalent,
caput, indicating by this the sum of the work. Heaven and
earth, in fact, are the sum of the invisible things which
appear not only as the adornment of this world, but also as
a testimony of invisible things and as ‘an evidence of things

17 Cf. Prov. 8.22.

18 John 1.3.

19 Col. 1.15.

20 Exod. 4.22.

21 Rom. 8.20.

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SAINT AMBROSE

that are not seen,’22 according to the prophecy: ‘The
heavens show forth the glory of God and the firmament
declareth the work of his hands.’23 The Apostle, inspired by
the above, expresses in other words the same thought when
he says: ‘For his invisible attributes are understood through
the things that are made.’24 We can find it easy to under¬
stand, then, that the Creator of Angels, Dominations, and
Powers is He who in a moment of His power made this
great beauty of the world out of nothing, which did not
itself have existence and gave substance to things or causes
that did not themselves exist.

Chapter 5

(17) This world is an example of the workings of God,
because, while we observe the work, the Worker is brought
before us. The arts may be considered in various aspects.
There are those which are practical. These relate to the
movement of the body or to the sound of the voice. When
the movement or the sound has passed away, there is nothing
that survives or remains for the spectators or the hearers.
Other arts are theoretical. These display the vigor of the
mind. There are other arts of such a nature that, even when
the processes of operation cease, the handiwork remains
visible. As an example of this we have buildings or woven
material which, even when the craftsman is silent, still
exhibit his skill, so that testimony is presented of the crafts¬
man’s own work. In a similar way, this work is a distinctive
mark of divine majesty from which the wisdom of God is
made manifest. On beholding this, raising the eyes of his
mind at the same time to the things invisible, the Psalmist

22 Heb. 11.1.

23 Ps. 18.1.

24 Rom. 1.20.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

says: ‘How great are thy works, O Lord; Thou hast made
all things in wisdom.’1

(18) Certainly not without reason do we read that the
world was made, for many of the Gentiles who maintain
that the world is co-eternal with God, as if it were a shadow
of divine power, affirm also that it subsists of itself. Although
they admit that the cause of it is God, they assert that the
cause does not proceed from His own will and rule. Rather,
they make it to be analogous to the shadow in respect to the
body. For the shadow stays close to the body and a flash
follows the light more by natural association than by exer¬
cise of free will.

Therefore, Moses says most commendably that ‘God
created heaven and earth.’ He did not say that He made it
subsist or that He provided a cause for the world to exist.
Rather, He created it as a good man makes what would be
of use, as a philosopher propounding his best thoughts, as
one all-powerful foreseeing what is to be the most magni¬
ficent. Again, how can one imagine a shadow where a body
did not exist, since there cannot be a corporeal shadow
where a body did not exist, since there cannot be a corporeal
shadow of an incorporeal God? Also, how can the brilliance
of incorporeal light be corporeal?

(19) If you are seeking after the splendor of God, the Son
is the image of the invisible God. As God is, so is the image.
God is invisible; then the image also is invisible. It is ‘the
brightness of the glory of His Father and an image of His
substance.’2 ‘In the beginning,’ we are told, ‘God created
heaven and earth.’ And the world was therefore created
and that which was not began to exist. And the word of
God was in the beginning and always was.3

1 Ps. 103.24.

2 Heb. 1.3.

3 John 1.1.

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SAINT AMBROSE

The Angels, Dominations, and Powers, although they
began to exist at some time, were already in existence when
the world was created. For all things ‘were created, things
visible and things invisible, whether Thrones or Dominations
or Principalities or Powers. All things,’ we are told, ‘have
been created through and unto him.’2

What is meant by ‘created unto him’? Because He is the
heir of the Father, from the fact that inheritance passed
from the Father unto Him, as the Father says: ‘Ask of me
and I will give thee the Gentiles for thine inheritance.’4
This inheritance nevertheless passed to the Son and returns
from the Son to the Father. And so in notable fashion the
Apostle said in this place that the Son was the Author of all
things, one who holds all things by His majesty. Addressing
the Romans, he says concerning the Father: ‘For from him
and through him and unto him are all things.’6 ‘From him’
means the beginning and origin of the substance of the
universe, that is, by His will and power. For all things began
by His will, because one only is the Father, from whom all
things come. By this is meant that He created through Him¬
self, who created from what source He desired. ‘Through
him’ means the continuation of the universe; ‘unto him’
means its end.

‘From him,’ therefore, is the material; ‘through him,’
the operation by which the universe is bound and linked
together; ‘unto him,’ because as long as He wishes all things
remain and endure by His power and the end of all things
is directed toward the will of God, by whose free act all
things are resolved.

4 Col. 1.16.

5 Ps. 2.8.

6 Rom. 11.36.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

Chapter 6

(20) In the beginning of time, therefore, God created
heaven and earth. Time proceeds from this world, not before
the world. And the day is a division of time, not its beginning.

In the course of our account we may affirm that the Lord
created day and night, which constitute time changes. And
on the second day He created the firmament by which He
divided the water which was under the heaven from the
water above the heaven. Nevertheless, for our present pur¬
poses it is sufficient to assert that in the beginning He created
the heaven, from which proceeds the preliminary cause of
generation, and created the earth, in which existed the sub¬
stance of generation.

In fact, with heaven and earth were created those four
elements from which are generated everything in the world.
The elements are four in number: heaven, fire, water, and
earth— elements which are found mingled in all things. You
may find fire also in earth, for it frequendy arises from
stones and iron; you may find it also in the heavens, since
it may take fire and the skies may gleam with brilliant stars.
In the heavens, too, we can perceive the presence of water,
which is either above the heavens or from that high position
falls frequently to earth in heavy rainstorms.

We can in many ways demonstrate this, if we observe
that these elements are of advantage in the building of a
church. But, since it is not profitable to be concerned with
this, let us rather turn our attention to those matters which
may be fruitful for eternal life.

(21) It is sufficient, therefore, to set forth what we find
in the writings of Isaias concerning the nature and the sub¬
stance of the heavens. In modest and familiar language he
described the nature of the heavens when he said that God

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SAINT AMBROSE

‘hath fixed the heavens like smoke,’1 desiring to declare it
to be not of solid but of subtle nature.

As to its form, what Isaias has said about the firmament
of the heavens makes it more than clear that God created
‘heaven like a vault,’ because within the range of heaven
all things which move in the sea and land are enclosed. This
is the implication, too, of what we read that ‘God stretched
out the heavens.’2 He stretched it out as you would stretch
skins over tents, the dwelling places of the saints, or as a
scroll, that the names of many be inscribed therein who
merited the grace of Christ by their faith and devotion.
To all such it is said: ‘Rejoice in this that your names are
written in heaven.’3

(22) On the nature and position of the earth there should
be no need to enter into discussion at this point with respect
to what is to come. It is sufficient for our information to
state what the text of the Holy Scriptures establishes, namely,
that, ‘he hangeth the earth upon nothing.’4

What need is there to discuss whether the earth hangs in
the air or rests on the water? From this would arise a con¬
troversy as to whether the nature of the air which is slight
and yielding is such as to sustain a mass of earth; also,
the question would arise, if the earth rested on the waters,
would not the earth by its weight fall and sink into the
waters? Or would not the waters of the sea give way to the
earth and, moved from its accustomed place, would not the
sea pour itself over the borders of the land?

There are many, too, who have maintained that the
earth, placed in the midst of the air, remains motionless there
by its own weight, because it extends itself equally on all

1 Isa. 51.6.

2 Isa. 40.22.

3 Luke 10.20.

4 fob 26.7.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

sides. As to this subject, let us reflect on what was said by the
Lord to His servant Job when He spoke through the clouds:
‘Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the
measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched
the line upon it? Or upon what are the circles grounded?
And further on: ‘I shut up the sea with doors, and I said:
Hitherto thou shalt come and shalt go no further, but in thee
shall be broken thy waves.’5 Does not God clearly show that
all things are established by His majesty, not by number,
weight, and measures? For the creature has not given the
law; rather, he accepts it or abides by that which has been
accepted.

The earth is therefore not suspended in the middle of the
universe like a balance hung in equilibrium, but the majesty
of God holds it together by the law of His own will, so that
what is steadfast should prevail over the void and unstable.
The Prophet David also bears witness to this when he says:
‘He has founded the earth upon its own bases: it shall not
be moved for ever and ever.’6 There, certainly, God is as¬
serted to be not merely an artist, but one who is omnipotent,
as one who suspended the earth, not from some central
point, but from the firmament according to His command,
and did not allow it to sway. We ought not to accept the
measurement as coming from the center, but as the result of
a divine decree, because the measurement is not that of an
art, but that of power, of justice and of knowledge. All
things do not escape His wisdom as if they were immeasur¬
able, but underlie His knowledge as if they were already
measured. When we read: ‘I have established the pillars
thereof,’7 we cannot believe that the world was supported

5 Job. 38.4-6,8,11.

6 Ps. 103.5.

7 Ps. 74.4.

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SAINT AMBROSE

actually by columns, but rather by that power that props up
the substance of the earth and sustains it.

How the disposition of the earth therefore depends upon
the power of God, you may learn also where it is written:
‘He looketh upon the earth and maketh it tremble,’8 and
elsewhere: ‘One again I move the earth.’9 Therefore, the
earth remains immovable not by its balances, but is moved
frequently by the nod and free will of God, as Job, too,
says: ‘The Lord shaketh it from its foundations, and the
pillars thereof tremble.’ And elsewhere : ‘Hell is naked before
him and there is no covering for death. He stretched out the
north over the empty space and hangeth the earth upon
nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his clouds. The pillars
of heaven fled away and are in dread at his rebuke. By his
power the seas are calmed, by his wisdom is struck down
the sea-monster, and the gates of heaven fear him.’10

By the will of God, therefore, the earth remains im¬
movable. ‘The earth standeth for ever,’ according to Eccles¬
iastes,11 yet is moved and nods according to the will of God.
It does not therefore continue to exist because based on its
own foundations. It does not stay stable because of its own
props. The Lord established it by the support of His will,
because ‘in his hand are all the ends of the earth.’12 The
simplicity of this faith is worth all the proffered proofs.

Let others hold approvingly that the earth never will fall,
because it keeps its position in the midst of the world in
accordance with nature. They maintain that it is from neces¬
sity that the earth remains in its place and is not inclined in
another direction, as long as it does not move contrary to
nature but in accordance with it. Let them take occasion to

8 Ps. 103.32.

9 Agg. 2.7.

10 Job 9.6; 26.6-11.

11 Eccle. 1.4.

12 Ps. 94.4.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

magnify the excellence of their divine Artist and eternal
Craftsman. What artist is not indebted to Him? ‘Who gave
to women the knowledge of weaving or the understanding
of embroidery?’13 However, I who am unable to compre¬
hend the excellence of His majesty and His art do not en¬
trust myself to theoretical weights and measures. Rather, I
believe that all things depend on His will, which is the
foundation of the universe and because of which the world
endures up to the present.

For this belief one may find authority also in the words of
the Apostle. It is written: ‘For creation was made subject
to vanity — not by its own will, but by reason of him who
made it subject — in hope,’ because creation itself will also be
delivered from its slavery to corruption when the grace of
divine reward will shine forth.14

(23) Why should I enumerate the theories which philo¬
sophers in their discussions have woven concerning the
nature and composition of the substance of the heavens?

While some maintain that the heavens are composed of
the four elements, others assign the formation of the heavens
to what is called a fifth nature of a new body. They con¬
ceive this body to be ethereal and unmixed with fire, air,
water or earth, whereas the elements of this world have their
own special course and customary motion according to
nature, the heavier elements sinking downward; the light
and rare elements rising upwards. Each of these elements
has, in fact, its own proper motion. However, in the circular
quality of a sphere these elements are confused and lose the
impulse of their course, inasmuch as a sphere is turned
around in its orb and hence the elements above change
place with the elements beneath and vice-versa. And where
these movements have undergone change in accordance with

13 Cf. Job 38.36 (Septuagint) .

14 Rom. 8.20; cf. 8.21.

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SAINT AMBROSE

nature, they state that by necessity the quality of the sub¬
stances therein usually suffers a corresponding change. Well,
then, should we defend the theory of an ethereal body, lest
the heavens appear subject to corruption?

What is composed of corruptible elements, for example,
must of necessity undergo dissolution. This is seen from the
fact that these elements are of different nature and cannot
have a simple and unalterable motion, since a diverse move¬
ment of the elements leads to discord. There cannot be, in
fact, one motion appropriate to and in accord with elements
that are opposite; what is suitable to the lighter elements
does not befit the weightier one. Accordingly, where there
is a necessary motion of the heavens upwards, this is weighed
down by the terrestial elements. On the other hand, when
there is an impulse to a downward motion, there is fiery
opposition from the fiery element, for it is being forced
downward contrary to its usual course. Everything which is
impelled in a contrary direction does not comply with its na¬
ture. Rather, it is quickly dissolved by necessity and is broken
up into those parts out of which it seems to be composed,
each part returning respectively to its own peculiar place.
For this reason, other philosophers, noting that these elements
are unstable, have been led to believe that the substance of
the heavens and of the stars is ethereal. They introduced
what they called a fifth corporeal nature, which they thought
was sufficient to give an enduring permanency to the sub¬
stance of the heavens.16

(24) But this opinion could not withstand the words of
the Prophet, which the divine majesty of our Lord Jesus
Christ, our God, has confirmed in the Gospel. For David has
said: ‘In the beginning, O Lord, thou foundest the earth
and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish
but thou remainest, and all of them shall grow old as a

15 See W. Turner, History of Philosophy (Boston 1903) 145.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

garment. And as vesture thou shalt change them and they
shall be changed. But thou art always the selfsame and thy
years shall not fail.’16 To such a degree did the Lord confirm
this that He said: ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but
my words will not pass away.’17

They labor to no purpose who, in order to claim per¬
petuity for the heavens, have thought it best to introduce
the so-called fifth ethereal body, although they can see, as
well as I can, that, if an entirely dissimilar part is attached
to a body, it usually gives that body a defect rather than
otherwise. At the same time, take note that the Prophet
David, in mentioning the earth first and after that the
heavens, believed that the work of the Lord should be
made manifest. When he said: ‘He spoke and they were
made,’18 it is of no consequence what you assert first, since
both were done at the same time, in order to preclude the
idea that the heavens may appear to have been given the
priority in the divine substance, so as to be considered of
more importance by right of primogeniture in the order of
created things.

Accordingly, let us leave these men to their contentions,
men who contradict themselves by their mutual disputes.
Sufficient for our salvation is not disputatious controversy
but doctrine — not the cleverness of argumentation, but
fidelity of the mind — that we may serve, not a creature,
but our Creator, who is God, blessed for all ages.

16 Ps. 101.26-28.

17 Matt. 24.35.

18 Ps. 148.5.

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SAINT AMBROSE

THE SECOND HOMILY

Chapter 7

(25) ‘And the earth was void and without forms.’1 The
good architect lays the foundation first, and afterwards,
when the foundation has been laid, plots the various parts
of the building, one after the other, and then adds thereto
the ornamentation. When the foundation of the earth has
been laid and the substance of the heavens stabilized —
these two are, as it were, the hinges of the universe — he
added: ‘And the earth was void and without form.’ What
is the meaning of the word ‘was’? Perhaps that men may
not extend their hypothesis to refer to something without
end and without beginning and say: See how matter, the
so-called uAq of the philosophers, did not have a beginning
according even to the divine Scriptures. However, to those
who hold this belief you will reply that it is written: ‘And
Cain was a husbandman.’ And concerning him who was
called Jubal, Scripture states: ‘He was father of them who
played upon the psalter and the cithern.’2 Also: ‘There was
a man in the land of Austide whose name was Job.’3 Let
them cease, therefore, to raise questions on the meaning of
the word, especially since Moses had already asserted: ‘God
created the earth.’ It ‘was’ therefore from the fact that it
was ‘created.’

If they say that it was without beginning, maintaining
that not only God, but also uXq, had no beginning, let them
give a clear answer to the question: Where, indeed, was it?
If it was in some place, then the place, too, is asserted to

1 Gen. 1.2.

2 Gen. 4.2,21.

3 Job 1.1. (Septuagint) .

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

have been without a beginning, in which place was the
material of the universe, which according to them had no
beginning. But, if it seems absurd to think of a place, then
perhaps we ought to imagine a flying earth, which, lacking
a foundation, was suspended ‘by the oarage of its wings.’4
Whence, therefore, can we lay hold of wings for it, unless,
perchance, we were to interpret and apply thereto the words
of the Prophet: ‘From the wings of the earth we have heard
prodigies,’ and ‘Woe to the land to the oarage of ships.’5

But, following this interpretation, in what air did the
earth fly? It could not fly without air. Yet air could not
yet have existed, because without material for the world no
distinction of the elements had been made, since up to this
point the elements had not been created. Where, then, was
this material supported ‘by the oarage of wings’? It was not
in the air, because the air is a body of the world. The
Scriptures teach us that air is a body, because ‘when an
arrow is shot at a mark,’ aimed at by the bowman, ‘the air
presently cometh together again.’6

Where, therefore, was the oArj [material]? Are you to
suppose by some notion that it was God? God, a spirit most
pure and incomprehensible, with a nature that is invisible
and incorruptible, who ‘dwells in light inaccessible,’7 was
therefore the place of the material of the world? And was
God a' part of this world, of which not even the meanest
of the servants of God have a part, as we are told in the
Scriptures: ‘They are not of this world, even as I am not
of the world.’8

(26) How, then, have things visible associated themselves
with the invisible and how has that which is disorganized

4 Virgil, Aeneid 1.301.

5 Isa. 24.16; 18.1 (Septuagint) .

6 Wisd. 5.12.

7 1 Tim. 6.16.

8 John 17.16.

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SAINT AMBROSE

been linked with Him who has bestowed order and beauty
on all things? Unless, perchance, they believe that the earth
was invisible of itself in its substance, because it had been
said: ‘And the earth was invisible.’ Or they might hold that
the earth was invisible for the reason that when covered
by water it could not be seen by mortal eyes, just as much
as that which lies in deep water escapes the notice of our
sharpest eyes. Nothing, in fact, is invisible to God, but
something created in this world has, in this instance, been
thought to be invisible to him by one who, too, is created.

Invisible, also, was the earth, because the light which
illumined the world did not as yet exist, nor did the sun.
The luminaries of the sky were, in fact, created later. But,
if the rays of the sun frequently illuminate even that which
is covered by water and reveal by the brilliance of its light
things immersed in the depths, who would doubt that He
can see what is invisible in the deep? Unless, perchance,
we are to hold that the earth was invisible, because the
earth was not yet visited by the Word and protection of
God — the earth which did not yet contain man, for whose
sake the Lord looked down upon the earth, as it is written:
‘The Lord hath looked down upon the children of men, to
see if there be any that understand and seek God.’ And
elsewhere He says: ‘Thou hast caused judgment to be hurled
from heaven: the earth trembled and was still.’9 And jusdy
is the earth called invisible, because it was without order,
not having as yet received from its Creator its appropriate
form and beauty.

(27) And perhaps they may say: Why did not God, in
accordance with the words, ‘He spoke and they were
made,’10 grant to the elements at the same time as they
arose their appropriate adornments, as if He, at the moment

9 Ps. 1S.2; 75.9.

10 Ps. 148.5.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

of creation, were unable to cause the heavens immediately
to gleam with studded stars and the earth to be clothed
with flowers and fruit? That could very well have happened.
Yet Scripture points out that things were first created and
afterwards put in order, lest it be supposed that they were
not actually created and that they had no beginning, just
as if the nature of things had been, as it were, generated
from the beginning and did not appear to be something
added afterwards. ‘And the earth was without form,’ we
read, yet these same philosophers accord to it the privileges
of immortality which they grant God. What would they say
if its beauty shone forth from the beginning? The earth is
described as immersed in water, condemned, as it were, to
a shipwreck in its own first principles. Yet, some do not
believe that the earth was made. What, then, if it lay claim
to ornament from the moment of its creation?

Add to this the fact that God willed it that we be imitators
of Himself, so that we first make something and afterwards
beautify it. We would run the danger of attempting two
projects at one time and accomplishing neither. And our
faith grows strong step by step. For that reason, God created
first and afterwards beautified, in order that we may believe
that He who made and He who adorned were one and the
same person. Otherwise, we might suppose that one adorned
and that another performed the act of creation, whereas the
same person achieved both, creating first and afterwards
adorning, in order that one act might be believed as a result
of the other.

You find in the Gospel clear testimony on this subject.
For the Lord, when proposing to raise Lazarus to life, first
ordered the Jews to remove the stone from the sepulcher,
in order that, on seeing him dead, they might believe after¬
wards that he had risen from the dead. Next, He called
Lazarus by name, and he arose _ and came forth with his

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SAINT AMBROSE

hands and feet bound.11 Could not He who was able to
restore the dead to life also remove the stone? And could
not He who was able to restore the dead man to life also set
him free from his bonds? Could not He who granted Lazarus
power to walk with his feet still bound also render it
possible for him to come forth with his fetters already
broken? Of course, we see that He wished to point out first
that the man was dead, so that they might believe with
their own eyes. The next step was to raise him from the dead
and the third to bid them unbind with their own hands the
mortuary bands. By this process faith might be engendered
in the hearts of the incredulous and belief come to life
gradually, step by step.

Chapter 8

(28) God created first, therefore, heaven and earth, but
He did not will them to be perpetual; rather, they subserve
the final end of our corruptible nature. Hence, in the book
of Isaias He says: ‘Lift up your eyes to heaven and look
down on the earth beneath: for the heavens have the com*
pactness of smoke and the earth shall be worn away like a
garment.’1 This is the earth which before was unformed.
The seas were not yet confined within their limits and the
earth was inundated by a deep flood. Observe that even now
the earth has become unsightly with marshy mire and is not
subject to the plough2 where water has everywhere covered
the land. The land was, therefore, unformed, since it was
as yet unploughed by the industrious attentions of the farmer,

11 Cf. John 11.39-44.

1 Isa. 51.6.

2 Cf. Virgil, Georgia 2.223.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

for the cultivator had still to appear. It was unformed
because it was devoid of growing plants. The banks of
streams lacked their grassy slopes; the land was not shady
with groves or productive in fruits of the earth. The over¬
hanging brows of the mountains did not produce shade;
flowers did not as yet give forth odors; still unknown were
the delights of the vineyard. Correctly, then, was the land
called unformed which was devoid of ornament and which
did not present to view the linked rows of budding vine
shoots. God wished to show us that the world itself would
have no attraction unless a husbandman had improved it
with varied culture. The very heavens, when seen covered
with clouds, often inspire men with dread fear and with
sadness of heart. The earth, when saturated with rain,
arouses our aversion. Who is not moved to fright by the
sight of stormy seas? Most admirable is the aspect of created
things. But what would they have been without light, what
would they have been without heat and without the gathering
together of waters, in which element some have supposed
that this universe of ours, when once immersed, had its
primal origin. Take away the sun from the earth; take away
the round spheres of stars from the sky — every object is then
shrouded in dread darkness. Thus it was before the Lord
poured light into this world.

And for that reason Scripture says: ‘Darkness was over
the abyss.’3 There was darkness because the brilliance of light
was absent; there was darkness because the air itself was
dark. Water itself beneath a cloud is dark because ‘dark are
the waters in the clouds of air.’4 There was, therefore, dark¬
ness over the abyss of waters. I am not of the opinion that by
darkness are to be understood the powers of evil, in that their
wickedness was brought about by God. The reason is, of

3 Gen. 1.2.

4 Ps. 17.12.

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SAINT AMBROSE

course, that evil is not a substance, but an accident and that
it is a deviation from the goodness of nature.

(29) Accordingly, a discussion of the question of evil in
the constitution of the world should be laid aside for the
moment, lest we seem to mingle that which is depraved with
the work that is divine and with the beauty of the created.
Especially should this be so for the reason that Scripture
adds: ‘And the spirit of God moved over the waters.’5
Although some consider this spirit as air, others think of it
as the vital breath of the air which we take in and emit.
However, in agreement with the saints and the faithful we
consider this to be the Holy Spirit, so that the operation of
the Holy Trinity clearly shines forth in the constitution of
the world. Preceded by the statement that ‘In the beginning
God created heaven and earth,’ that is, God created it in
Christ or the Son of God had, as God, created it or God
created it through the Son, since ‘all things were made
through him and without him was made nothing that was
made.’6 There was still to come the plenitude of the
operation in the Spirit, as it is written: ‘By the word of the
Lord the heavens were established and all the power of them
by the spirit of his mouth.’7 As we are instructed in the psalm
concerning the work of the Word, which is the work of God,
and on the power which the Holy Spirit bestowed, so is
echoed here the prophetic oracle, namely, that ‘God spoke’
and ‘God created’ and ‘the Spirit of God moved over the
waters.’ While adorning the firmament of the heavens, the
Spirit fittingly moved over the earth, destined to bear fruit,
because by the aid of the Spirit it held the seeds of new birth
which were to germinate according to the words of the
Prophet: ‘Send forth thy Spirit and they shall be created

5 Gen. 1.2.

6 John 1.3.

7 Ps. 32.6.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.’8 Finally, the
Syriac text, which is close to the Hebrew and agrees with it
in word for the most part, expresses it in this fashion: ‘And
the Spirit of God brooded over the waters,’ that is, gave
life, in order to help the birth of new creatures and by
cherishing them give them the breath of life. For the Holy
Spirit, too, is called Creator, as we read in Job: ‘The divine
Spirit which made me.’9

If, therefore, the Holy Spirit moved over the waters, there
could not exist, just where the Spirit claimed such honor,
the darkness of forces which are contrary to it. But if, as
some would have it, we are to interpret ‘Spirit’ as ‘air,’ let
these people answer the question: How did the Scripture
speak of the ‘Spirit of God,’ when it would have been
sufficient to mention simply ‘Spirit’?

(30) These would have it, then, that first the four
elements were generated by the Lord our God — that is,
heaven, earth, sea, and air — for the reason that fire and air
are the causes of things, while earth and water furnish the
material from which are derived the beauty and form of the
world. Where, therefore, could the darkness of the spirits
of evil find a place, when the world has vested itself with
the beauty of this august figure? Are we to hold that God
at the same time created evil? But evil arose from us, and
was not made by a Creator God. It is produced by the
lightness of our morals; it has no prior right over any
created thing, nor has it the dignity of a natural substance.
It is a fault due to our mutability and is an error due to our
fall. God desires it to be eradicated from the souls of each
and everyone. How, then, could He have generated it?
The Prophet cries out: ‘Cease to do perversely.’10 And

8 Ps. 103.30.

9 Job 33.4.

10 Isa. 1.16.

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SAINT AMBROSE

holy David has stated it with definiteness: ‘Turn away from
evil and do good.’11 How, then, can we assign to God the
beginning of evil?

But this is the fatal theory of those who thought the
Church should be thrown into confusion. From this are
derived the sect of Marcio, of Valentinus;12 hence, too, that
deadly pest of the Manichaeans which attempted to bring
contagion to the minds of the faithful. Why do we search
of ourselves to see in the light of life the darkness of death?
Divine Scripture confers salvation on us and is fragrant with
the perfume of life, so that he who reads may acquire
sweetness and not rush into danger to his own destruction.
Read with simplicity, man; I would not encourage you, a
misdirected interpreter, to dig up meanings for yourself.
The language is simple: ‘God created heaven and earth.’
He created what was not, not what was. And the earth was
invisible, because water flowed over it and covered it.
Darkness was diffused over it, because there was not yet the
light of day, or the rays of the sun which can reveal even
what lies hid beneath the waters.

Why, then, do they say that God created evil, although
from principles contrary and opposed nothing whatsoever
is generated? Light does not generate death nor does light
give birth to darkness. And the processes of generation are
not like the mutability of human emotions. The latter change
from one opposite principle to another according to the
various questions at issue. The former are not deflected from
one point to its opposite, but, being created either by their
authors or by causes of the same nature, they stand in a
similar relationship to their Creator.

(31) What, then, are we to say? If evil has no beginning,

11 Ps. 33.15.

12 See P. de Labriolle, Histoire de la litterature latine chretienne (Paris

1920) 120.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

as if uncreated or not made by God, from what source did
nature derive it? Because no rational being has denied that
evil exists in a world like this in which accident and death
are so frequent. Yet from what we have already said we can
gather that evil is not a living substance, but is a deviation
of mind and soul away from the path of true virtue, a
deviation which frequently steals upon the souls of the un¬
aware. The greater danger is not, therefore, from what is
external to us, but from our own selves. Our adversary is
within us, within us is the author of error, locked, I say,
within our very selves. Look closely on your intentions;
explore the disposition of your mind; set up guards to watch
over the thoughts of your mind and the cupidities of your
heart. You yourself are the cause of your wickedness; you
yourself are the leader of your own crimes and the instigator
of your own misdeeds. Why do you summon an alien nature
to furnish an excuse for your sins?

Would that you did not give rein to yourself; would that
you did not rush recklessly on ; would that neither by immod¬
erate desires nor through wrath or cupidity you involved
yourself in bonds which trap us like so many nets. And
surely it is in our power to moderate our desires; to curb our
anger; to check our evil passions. It is also within our power
to give ourselves up to luxurious living; to add fire to our
lusts; to stir up the fires of our anger or lend our ears to one
who ministers to them; to be unduly puffed up by pride; to
allow ourselves to be carried away by acts of cruelty rather
than that we should bend ourselves to humble deeds and find
delight in acts of kindliness.

Why, then, man, do you accuse nature? Nature has old
age and illness which serve as so many impediments to our
lives. But old age becomes sweeter and more useful by its
wise counsels and characters. It becomes more ready to face
inevitable death with constancy and becomes more heroic

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SAINT AMBROSE

in quelling lusts of the flesh.13 Infirmity of the body, too, is
conducive to sobriety of mind. Hence the Apostle says:
‘When I am weak, then am I strong.’ Accordingly, he gloried
not in his virtues but in his infirmities. A divine saying also
flashes forth from that salutary oracle: ‘Strength is made
perfect in weakness.’14 We ought to guard ourselves against
the ‘sins of youth’15 which arise from free acts of our will,
and we should avoid the irrational passions of the body. Let
us not search outside of ourselves or attribute to others the
causes of that of which we ourselves are sole masters. Let us,
rather, recognize these causes as belonging to us alone. We
ought to attribute to ourselves the choice of an evil which we
are unable to do without consent of the will rather than
ascribe the same to others. In the courts of the world guilt
so is imputed and punishment meted out, not to those
compelled to crime by necessity, but to those who have acted
voluntarily. It is true that the person who in a rage slays
another is subject to the penalty of death. Why, even accord¬
ing to the decree of the divine law itself, a person who in¬
advertently kills another may expect impunity by accepting
the possibility of exile, if he wishes to escape punishment.16

This, then, may be stated on the question of what in the
real sense of the word seems to be evil. Wrong does not exist
except when the mind and conscience are implicated and
bound up with the guilt. Moreover, no intelligent person
would call poverty, disgrace, or death an evil. He would
not list them in the category of evils, because they are not
the opposite of those goods held in the highest esteem —
goods which seem to fall to our lot either from causes which
stem from nature or from the favorable circumstance of our
lives.

13 Cf. Cicero, De senectute 14.47.

14 2 Cor. 12.10,9.

15 Ps. 24.7.

16 Cf. Num. 35.22-25.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

(32) Not without a purpose have we introduced this
digression in order to prove that the phrase ‘darkness and
the abyss’ should be taken in literal sense. In fact, the
darkness under discussion comes especially from the shadow
cast from the heavens, since every body produces a shadow
by which it casts a shade either on what is near by or on
what is beneath it, and above it casts a shadow on those
objects which it seems to cover or include. The firmament of
the heavens does include the earth, because, as we have
shown above, heaven stretches itself out like a vault. There¬
fore, darkness was not an original substance, but the mist
of darkness accompanied like a shadow the body of the
world. Accordingly, at the instant that the world arose at the
divine command there was enclosed within it a shadow.
Just as if a person in the midst of a plain illumined by the
midday sun were, at the spur of the moment, to hedge some
spot and cover it with thick leafy branches, would not his hut
with its rude, stage-like background become rather all the
more obscure within in contrast to the exterior, so brilliantly
illuminated?17 Or why was a place closed on all sides called
a cave unless it is that it is a place obscured by darkness and
forbidding because of its blackness?18

This darkness then was over the abyss of waters. For the
Gospel teaches us that the abyss is a mass of deep waters,
where, in fact, the demons entreated the Saviour ‘not to
command them to depart into the abyss.’ But He who taught
that the will of the demons should not be obeyed caused
them to enter into the bodies of swine. And the herd of swine
rushed down the cliff into the pool, so that the demons did
not escape what they rebelled against, but were, as they

17 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 1.164,165, and the note of Servius ( editio Harvar-
diana 1946, 95) on scaena (‘stage’) .

18 Antrum— atro situ.

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SAINT AMBROSE

deserved, submerged in the depths.19 Unformed, therefore,
was the appearance and shape of this world.

Chapter 9

(33) ‘And the Spirit of God,’ he said, ‘moved over the
waters. And God said: Be light made.’1 Rightly, therefore,
was the Spirit of God sent forth where the divine operation
was to begin. He said: ‘Be light made.5 Whence should the
voice of God in Scripture begin, if not with light? Whence
should the adornment of the world take its beginning, if not
from light?

There would be no purpose in the world if it were not
seen. In fact, God Himself was in the light, because He
‘dwells in light inaccessible,5 and He ‘was the true light that
enlightens every man who comes into this world.52 But He
wishes the light to be such as might be perceived by mortal
eyes. The person who desires to erect a house as a fitting
habitation for the head of a family determines first how it
may receive light abundantly before he lays the foundation.
This is the first requisite. If this is lacking, the whole house
is without beauty and is uninhabitable. It is light which sets
off the other beautiful objects in the house.

‘Let light be made,5 He said. When the word ‘light5 is
used, it is not intended to mean merely the preparation for
performance; rather, it is the splendor of the operation itself
in action. The Fabricator of nature uttered the word ‘light5
and also created it. The Word of God is His will; the work
of God is nature. He created light and illumined the dark-

19 Cf. Luke 8.31,32.

1 Gen. 1.2,3.

2 1 Tim. 6.16; John 1.9.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

ness. ‘And God said, be light made, and light was made.’3
He did not speak in order that action should follow; rather,
the action was completed with the Word. Hence, David
appropriately uttered the statement, ‘He spoke and they
were made,’4 because the fulfillment of the act accompanied
the Word.

God, therefore, is the Author of light and the place and
cause of darkness is the world. But the good Author uttered
the word ‘light’ so that He might reveal the world by in¬
fusing brightness therein and thus make its aspect beautiful.
Suddenly, then, the air became bright and darkness shrank
in terror from the brilliance of the novel brightness. The
brilliance of the light which suddenly permeated the whole
universe overwhelmed the darkness and, as it were, plunged
it into the abyss. Fittingly, therefore, and appropriately was it
said : ‘Light was made.’ For, just as light quickly illuminated
the heavens, the earth, and the seas, and in a moment,
without our being aware of it, when the land is unveiled at
the splendor of dawn, this light is perceived as it encompasses
us, in such a manner should its birth be explained. Why do
we marvel at the fact that God simply said ‘light’ and
flashed forth brilliance on a darkling world, when we know
that, if a person immersed in water should emit oil from
his mouth, all that which is hidden in the deep is made
clearer?

God did not speak as one would utter a sound through
the vocal organs or as a movement of the tongue might
produce an exhortation from heaven or as a sound of words
might strike this air of ours. His purpose was to reveal the
knowledge of His will by the effects of His work.

3 Gen. 1.3.

4 Ps. 148.5.

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SAINT AMBROSE

(34) ‘And He divided the light from the darkness and
God saw the light that it was good.’5 He spoke, and no one
heard the sound of His voice. He divided, and no one noticed
the effort expended in His work. He saw, and no one
observed the glance of His eyes. ‘And God saw,’ he says,
‘the light that it was good.’ He did not see that of which He
had no knowledge, nor did He approve what He before had
neither known nor seen. It is a fitting quality of good works
that they need no one to applaud them outside of oneself,
but when they are seen give evidence of their own intrinsic
value. It is more important that one be approved in the
sight of men rather than be lauded in their conversation,
since such a person relies on his own testimony and not on
the recommendations of others.

But if in our own experience we are able to perceive by
means of our eyes, by the aid of which the beauty of natural
objects is immediately appreciated, how much more is this
true in the case of God! He sees all things which He
approves and approves of all things which He sees, accord¬
ing to the Scriptures: ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the
just.’6 The nature of light is of such a kind that its value
does not rest in number or measurement or weight as is the
case with other things. Its whole value comes from its
appearance. Accordingly, Scripture fittingly described the
nature of light, which pleases us when seen, inasmuch as it
furnishes us with the ability to see. Not undeservingly was
light able to find as its eulogist one who first justly praised
it, since it was also responsible for making the other objects
in the world worthy of commendation. God, therefore, saw
the light and illumined it with His countenance and saw
that it was good. And this is a conviction not only on the
part of God, but of all mankind. And so the value of light

5 Gen. 1.4.

6 Ps. 33.16.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

is conceded to be great, not only because of its splendor, but
also on account of its usefulness. For this reason there was
a division made between light and darkness, so that, when
separated, there would seem to be no grounds for confusing
the nature of light and the nature of darkness.

(35) ‘And God called the light, day, and the darkness,
night,’7 in order that day and night might be distinguished
even in name. For this reason we notice that the rising of
light rather than that of the sun seems to open the day. The
beginning of day closes up night’s exit and a definite time
limit and an established boundary seem to have been pre¬
scribed for night and day. The sun gives the day its brilliance;
the light, its existence. The sky is often overlaid with clouds,
so that the sun is hidden and its rays are not seen. Still, the
presence of light points to the fact that it is day and that
darkness has vanished.

Chapter 10

(36) ‘And there was made evening and morning, one
day.’1 Some inquire why Scripture first mentions evening
and after that, morning? Would not this appear to mean
that night came before day? They do not notice that this is
preceded by a reference to day: ‘And God called light, day,
and the darkness, night,’ and then, again, because the
evening is the termination of day and morning is the termin¬
ation of night.

Therefore, in order to give preference and primacy to the
day of creation, Scripture first indicated the end of a day,
which night was soon to follow, and then it added the

7 Gen. 1.5.

1 Gen. 1.5.

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SAINT AMBROSE

termination of night. There is a further reason why Scrip¬
ture could not prefer night to day: It included in the term
‘day’ the space of time for both day and night and bestowed
on that term the prestige, as it were, of a principal name.
And this usage is found in Scripture to confer a name on the
more important element. This is proved by numerous ex¬
amples, for Jacob has said also: ‘The days of my life have
been short and wretched.’2 And again: ‘All the days of my
life.’3 And David set down: ‘The days of my years’;4 he did
not say also ‘the night.’ Hence we note that those events
which are now recorded in the form of history have estab¬
lished for themselves a precedent for the relation of future
events.

The beginning of the day rests on God’s word: ‘Be light
made, and light was made.’5 The end of day is the evening.
Now, the succeeding day follows after the termination of
night. The thought of God is clear. First He called light ‘day’
and next He called darkness ‘night.’

(37) In notable fashion has Scripture spoken of a ‘day,’
not the ‘first day.’ Because a second, then a third, day, and
finally the remaining days were to follow, a ‘first day’ could
have been mentioned, following in this way the natural
order.6 But Scripture established a law that twenty-four
hours, including both day and night, should be given the
name of day only, as if one were to say the length of one day
is twenty-four hours in extent. In such fashion, also, is the
generation of men reckoned which is understood to include
that of women, also. Because what is secondary is bound up
with what is primary, the nights in this reckoning are con¬
sidered to be component parts of the days that are counted.

2 Gen. 47.9.

3 Ps. 22.6.

4 Ps. 89.10.

5 Gen. 1.5.

6 Cf. Philo, De opificio mundi 5 (Philonis opera , ed. L. Cohn, I) .

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : ONE

Therefore, just as there is a single revolution of time, so there
is but one day. There are many who call even a week one

day, because it returns to itself, just as one days does, and

one might say seven times revolves back on itself. This is the
form of a circle, to begin with itself and to return to itself.
Hence, Scripture speaks at times of an age of the world.
Although in other passages there is a mention of an age,
there Scripture seems to mean the diversities in public and

private affairs: ‘For the day of the Lord is great and

glorious.’7 And elsewhere: ‘What avail is it to you to seek
the day of the Lord.’8 And here is meant darkness and not
light, for it is clear that that day when innocence will gleam
forth and guilt be tormented is dark to those who are con¬
scious of evil deeds and unworthy acts. Moreover, Scripture
teaches us that the everlasting day of eternal reward is to be
one in which there is no interchange or intermission of day
and night.

(38) Fittingly, then, in calling one day the interchange
of both times Scripture closes this period with morning, so
that we are taught that day begins with light and in light
comes to an end. This is true because day and night could
not be considered as a unit of time unless that time has been
completely traversed. Hence, ‘let us walk becomingly as in
the day’ and ‘let us lay aside the works of darkness.’9 We
know that night is passed in sleep and forgetfulness so that
the body may find rest. Night is not designed for the per¬
formance of any task or of any transaction. Let us not be
sharers in feasting and drunkenness, in chambering and im¬
modesty. Let us not say: Darkness and walls cover us and
who knows if the Most High will see us.10 But let there be

7 Joel 2.11.

8 Amos 5.18.

.9 Rom. 13.12,13.

10 Cf. Eccli. 23.26.

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SAINT AMBROSE

in us a love of light and an esteem of goodness, so that, as if
walking in daylight, we may desire that our works shine in
the presence of God. To Him be honor, praise, glory, and
power, together with our Lord Jesus Christ and with the
Holy Spirit, from eternity and now and always, for ever and
ever. Amen.11

11 Cf. Matt. 5.16.

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BOOK TWO: THE SECOND DAY

THE THIRD HOMILY

Chapter 1

e have finished as best we could our discussion of
the first day — or, rather, of one day, in order to
keep to the phrase preferred by the inspired book.
On this day, by the work of the omnipotent God, and the
Lord Jesus Christ, together with the Holy Spirit, we know
that the heavens were founded, the earth was created, the
waters and the air were sent forth around us, and a separation
was made between light and darkness.

Who, therefore, does not marvel at the fact that a world
formed of dissimilar elements should rise to the level of
unity in one body, that this body should combine by in¬
dissoluble laws of concord and love to link together and
form a union of such discordant elements? Furthermore,
who does not marvel that these elements so naturally separate
should be tied together in the bonds of unity and peace as
if by an indivisible compact? Or who in a moment of weak-

SAINT AMBROSE

ness would, on beholding this, question the possibilities of
order or plans? All these elements a divine power incom¬
prehensible to human minds and incapable of being expressed
in our language has by the might of His will woven closely
together.

( 2 ) God, therefore, created the heavens and the earth and
those things which He as Author has ordained to exist, not
just as a designer of their form but as a Creator of their
nature. How, in fact, can the creative power of God which
is impassive and the nature of matter which is passive form
an agreement together, as if one borrowed from the other
what was lacking in each? If matter is uncreated, then God
is without the power to create matter and must borrow
from matter what is a conditional basis for His work. If,
however, matter is unformed, it surely is remarkable that
such material, co-eternal with God, which has not received
from the Creator its substance, but has itself possessed it in
timeless existence, has been unable to bestow beauty on
itself. The Creator of all things, therefore, would have found
ready for His work more things than He contributed to it.
He would have found material on which to work and would
have merely bestowed the form which would confer beauty
on what has already been found.

Hence, such a day should be distinguished from the others
as ‘one day,’ and should not be compared with other days as
‘the first day,’ for on it the foundations of all things were
laid and there began to come into existence the causes of all
things on which the substance of this world and of the
entire visible creation is based. Wherefore, our discourse can
now proceed to the wonderful works of the second day. The
importance of these works should not be rated by what we
have achieved in our discussion, but should, in accordance
with Scripture, be referred to the praise of the Creator.

(3) I bid you, therefore, be considerate enough to regard

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : TWO

in a natural sense our plausible discourse and to weigh our
statements in simplicity of mind and with attentive intellect,
not following the traditions of philosophy nor those who
gather the semblance of truth in the ‘vain deceit’1 of the arts
of persuasion, but in accordance with the rule of truth,
which is set forth in the inspired words of God and is
poured into the hearts of the faithful by the contemplation
of such sublimity. For it is written: ‘Strengthen thou me in
thy words.’ ‘The wicked have told me fables but not as thy
law, O Lord. All thy statutes are truth.’2 Therefore, not the
nature of the elements, but Christ Himself, who created the
world in the abundance and plenitude of His divinity, should
be our standard in the examination of what was created
and in the question as to what natural power is able to
achieve. The people who beheld with their own eyes the
miracles related in the Gospel of the healing of the leper
and that of giving sight to the blind did not regard these
as a medical process, but rather, marveling at the power of
the Lord, ‘gave praise to God,’ as it is written.3 Moses did
not follow the calculations of the Egyptians and the con¬
junctions of the stars and the relations of the elements when
he stretched out his hand to divide the Red Sea, but was
complying with the commands of divine power. Hence, he
says himself: ‘Thy right hand, O Lord, is magnified in
strength. Thy right hand, O Lord, hath broken the enemy.’4
To Him, therefore, ye faithful people, lift up your mind
and bring to Him all your heart. God does not see as man
does: God sees with His mind; man sees with his countenance.
Therefore, man does not see as God does. Give ear to what
God saw and what He praised. Do not, therefore, estimate

1 Col. 2.8; Eph. 5.6.

2 Ps. 118.28,85,86.

3 Matt. 8.2; 9.30; Luke 18.43.

4 Exod. 15.6.

SAINT AMBROSE

with your eyes nor weigh with your mind the problem of
creation. Rather, you should not regard as a subject for
debate what God saw and approved of.

Chapter 2

(4) And God said: ‘Let there be a firmament made
amidst the waters and let it divide the waters from the
waters, and it was so.’1 Listen to the words of God: ‘Let
there be,’ He said. This is the word of a commander, not of
an adviser. He gives orders to nature and does not comply
with its power. He does not regard its measurements, nor
does He examine its weight. His will is the measure of things
and His word is the completion of the work. ‘Let there be
a firmament made amidst the waters,’ He said. Firm is
everything which God has established. Appropriately enough
has He stated: ‘Let there be a firmament made’ before He
added ‘amidst the waters,’ in order that you might first
believe that the firmament was made by God’s command
before you would begin to doubt about the problem of the
fluid nature of water. If the nature of the elements is taken
into consideration, how it is possible for the firmament to
be stable between the waters? The one is liquid, the other
solid; one is active, the other, passive. ‘And let it divide the
waters from the waters,’ He said. But water usually mingles,
not separates. How, then, does He command what He knows
to be a contradiction in terms of the first principles of the
elements? But, since His word is nature’s birth, justly there¬
fore does He who gave nature its origin presume to give
nature its law.

1 Gen. 1.6.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : TWO

(5) But first let us discuss the problem of the nature of
the firmament, whether it is the same as what God previously
called heaven or something different? The question also
arises whether there are two heavens or more. There are
some who say that there is but one heaven. Moreover, they
maintain, since there was only one uAq, as they call it, that
there could not be at hand material for making a second
heaven. Moreover, since this material had been already
consumed in the first heaven, there would be nothing left
over in their opinion which would furnish material for a
second or third heaven. On the other hand, an opinion that
there are countless heavens is held by others,2 who thereby
furnish an occasion for laughter to some members of their
own school (contending among themselves even more than
they do with us), who pretend to prove by mathematical
means and the law of necessity that another heaven could
not exist. Again, they maintain that nature could not allow
that a second or a third such entity should exist and it would
not be a fitting exercise of power for a Creator to bring into
existence many heavens.

And who would not find the crafty and eloquent phrases
of these men a subject of ridicule? They would not deny
the human capacity of making more objects of the same kind
from one and the same material, yet they doubt whether
the Creator of all things can make more heavens, of whom
it is written : ‘But the Lord made the heavens,’ and elsewhere :
‘He hath done all things whatsover he would.’3 Why is it
difficult for one whose wishes are acts? Their theory that
this impossibility exists is, therefore, unsubstantial when they
treat of God, of whom in truth it is said: ‘Nothing is im¬
possible to thee.’4

2 Cf. Cicero, Academica 2.55 (Democritus) .

3 Ps. 95.5; 113.3.

4 Mark 14.36.

SAINT AMBROSE

(6) Accordingly, we cannot deny the existence of not only
a second heaven, but also of a third, since the Apostle attests
in his writings that he ‘was caught up to the third heaven.’6
David, too, introduced ‘Heaven of heavens’ into the chorus
of those who give praise to God. In imitation of him philo¬
sophers introduced the harmonious movement of five con¬
stellations along with the sun and moon, to whose spheres
or, rather, round bodies they state that all things are con¬
nected.6 They consider that these bodies, bound together
and, as it were, linked one with the other, are borne in a
backward motion and one contrary to the rest of things.
By the impact and motion of these spheres there is produced
a tone full of sweetness, the fruit of consummate art and of
most delightful modulation, inasmuch as the air, torn apart
by such artful motion, combines in even and melodious
fashion high and low notes to such a degree that it surpasses
in sweetness any other musical composition.

(7) If you should inquire into the truth of this phen¬
omenon and demand that proof be presented to our senses
and to our hearing, these philosophers are embarrassed. For,
if what they say were true, how is it possible that we who are
accustomed to hear lesser sounds do not perceive the impact
of the movement of the sphere? This takes place, according
to their theory, when in the course of the sphere’s motion
the celestial sphere, to which the course of the constellations
is uninterruptedly attached, produces by its swifter motion
a high tone, while the lunar sphere gives us a deeper tone.
If, then, we demand a proof of that hypothesis from the
evidence of our sense of hearing, they report that our ears
have become deafened and our sense of hearing has become
dulled because we have become accustomed to that sound
from the first moment of our birth. And they present an
illustration from the river Nile, the mightiest of rivers. In that

5 2 Cor. 12.2.

6 Pythagoras and his school; cf. Cicero, Somnium Scipionis 6.17.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : TWO

place where that river flows precipitously from the highest
mountains into the Cataracts, the noise of the waterfall is so
great that the ears of the natives are affected to the extent
that they are said to be deaf.

But experience itself presents us an easy rebuttal to their
arguments. We are able to hear thunderbolts produced by
the collision of clouds; how, then, are we unable to hear the
revolution of such mighty spheres which, in proportion
surely to their swifter motion, should produce sounds all the
more resounding? They maintain, furthermore, that such
music does not reach the earth. Otherwise, men, captivated
by the sweetness and charm which that exceedingly swift
motion of the heavens produces, would from the regions of
the east as far as the west have abandoned all their occupa¬
tions and labors. Thus, everything here would be in a state
of inactivity as a result of what might be called the rapture
of men at the sound of celestial music. But subjects which
are alien to our purpose and to divine testimony should be
left to those ‘who are outside.’7 We should adhere closely to
the doctrine laid down by the celestial Scriptures.

Chapter 3

(8) Our argument, then, is based on the word of God:
‘Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters and let
it divide the waters from the waters.’1 And from this arises
the question whether He calls the firmament the heaven
which He had already created, concerning which it is written :
‘In the beginning God created heaven and earth.’2 I am not
unaware of the interpretation which some have held on this

7 1 Cor. 5.12,13; Col. 4.5; 1 Tim. 3.7.

1 Gen. 1.6.

2 Gen. 1.1.

SAINT AMBROSE

subject, namely, that as the creation at the hands of God and
the foundation of heaven has been before expressly stated by
Scripture, so a clearer exposition of the work of creation is
here given. Whereas in one place a summary of the work,
as it were, is briefly stated, in the other, the nature of the
operation is depicted according to the specific aspect of
things as they appear at the same moment of creation. But
there is something which needs our consideration : there
is question of another word for heaven, ‘firmament,’ and
there emerges an aspect and condition of more solid char¬
acter, to which is added the person of a co-operating agent.
For it is written: ‘And God divided the waters that were
under the firmament from those that were above the
firmament.’3

(9) And first of all these interpreters wish to destroy the
profound impressions which frequent reading of the Scrip¬
tures have made in our mind, maintaining that waters can¬
not exist above the heavens. That heavenly sphere, they say,
is round, with the earth in the middle of it; hence, water
cannot stay on that circular surface, from which it needs
must flow easily away, falling from a higher to a lower
position. For how, they say, can water remain on a sphere
when the sphere itself revolves?

This is one of those sophistical arguments of the subtlest
kind. Grant me an opportunity to reply. If it is not granted,
there need be no further room for discussion.

They ask us to concede to them that heaven turns on its
axis with a swift motion, while the sphere of the earth
remains motionless, so as to conclude that waters cannot
stay above the heavens, because the axis of heaven as it
revolved would cause these to flow off. They wish, in fact,
that we grant them their premise and that our reply be based
on their beliefs. In this way they would avoid the question

3 Gen. 1.7.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : TWO

of the existence of length and breadth in that height and
depth,4 a fact which no one can comprehend except Him
who is filled ‘with the fullness of the Godhead,’5 as the
Apostle says. For who can easily set himself up to be a judge
of God’s work? There exists, therefore, breadth in the very
heights of heaven.

To speak of matters within our knowledge, there are a
great many buildings which are round in the exterior but
are square-shaped within, and vice-versa. These buildings
have level places on top, where water usually collects. We
are led to mention these matters in order to draw the atten¬
tion of these interpreters to the fact that their opinions can
be confuted by other opinions closer to the truth and that
they may cease measuring such a mighty work of God in
terms of human work and merely on an estimate of our own
capacities.

(10) We follow the tradition of the Scriptures and we
value the work by our esteem of the Author, as to what was
said, who said it, and to whom it was said. ‘Let there be a
firmament made,’ He said, ‘amidst the waters and let it
divide the waters from the waters.’6 From this I learn that
the firmament is made by a command by which the water
was to be separated and the water above be divided from
the water below. What is clearer than this?

He who commanded the waters to be separated by the
interposition of the firmament lying between them provided
also the manner of their remaining in position, once they
were divided and separated. The word of God gives nature
its power and an enduring quality to its matter, as long as
He who established it wishes it to be so, as it is written : ‘He
hath established them forever and for ages of ages. He hath
made a decree and it shall not pass away.’ And that you may

4 Cf. Eph. 3.18.

5 Col. 2.9.

SAINT AMBROSE

know that He said this concerning these waters which you
say cannot exist in the higher parts of the heavens, listen
to the words which precede: ‘Praise him, ye heaven of
heavens, and let all the waters above the heavens praise the
name of the Lord.’7

Did He not speak to you in such a way as to answer your
objections? ‘For he spoke and they were made. He com¬
manded and they were created. He hath established them
forever and for ages of ages. He hath made a decree and it
shall not pass away.’8 Does He not seem to you to be one
who is fitted to give a law to His work? Here speaks to you a
God venerable by nature, inestimable in magnitude, in re¬
wards immeasurable, in His works incomprehensible, the
depth of whose wisdom who can ever strive to measure?9
But He speaks to His Son, that is, to His arm; He speaks to
His power; He speaks to His wisdom, to His justice. And
the Son acts as one who is powerful ; He acts as the power of
God; He acts as the wisdom of God, as divine justice. Whem
you hear this, why do you marvel if, by the operation of such
majesty, water can be held suspended above the celestial
firmament?

(11) Reflect on this when dealing with other matters,
with what is seen by the eyes of men — reflect on this if you
look for an explanation of how the sea divided at the crossing
of the Jews. This is not a customary act of nature that water
should separate itself from water and that the waters inter¬
mingling in the midst of the earth should be divided. The
waves became solid, we are told, and like the waters in the
firmament they checked their course when they reached
their unusual boundaries.10 Could not the Lord have set

6 Gen. 1.6.

7 Ps. 148.6,4.

8 Ps. 148.5,6.

9 Cf. Rom. 11.33.

10 Cf. Exod. 15.8.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION I TWO

free the Hebrew people in a quite different manner? But He
wished to show that by taking note of such a spectacle you
might come to think that what is not even visible to your
eyes ought to inspire belief. The Jordan, too, inverting its
course, returned to its source.11 That water in its course
should stand still is considered to be unusual. That it should
flow upwards without any external aid is considered to be
impossible. But why is it impossible for Him who gave
strength to the weak, so that they could say: ‘I can do all
things in him who strengthens me.’12

Let them tell us whether, when ‘the air thickens into
cloud,513 rain is then produced by clouds or whether it is
collected in the lap of the clouds? We so frequently see
clouds issuing from the mountains. I ask you: Does the
water rise from the earth or does the water which is over
the heavens fall in copious rain? If water rises, it surely is
against nature that the element which is heavier should be
borne to a higher place and that it should be carried there
by air, although this is a lighter element. Or if water is
whirled by the rapid motion of the entire world system, in
that case it is absorbed from the lowest sphere and, likewise,
it is poured forth from the highest. If it does not cease to be
poured forth, as they claim, surely it does not cease to be
absorbed, because, if the axis of the heavens is ever in move¬
ment, the water, too, is always being absorbed. If water
descends, then it is clear that it is continuously above the
heavens in a position from which it can flow downwards.

What prevents us, then, from admitting that water is
suspended above the heavens? How can they say that the
earth, although it is certainly heavier than water, stays sus¬
pended and immobile in the middle? Following the same

11 Cf. Ps. 113.3.

12 Phil. 4.13.

13 Virgil, Aeneid 5.20.

SAINT AMBROSE

principle, they can admit the water which is above the
heavens does not descend because of the rotation of that
celestial sphere. Just as the earth is suspended in the void
and stays immobile in position, its weight being balanced on
every side,14 in like manner the water, too, is balanced by
weights either equal to or greater than that of the earth. For
the same reason, the sea does not tend to inundate the land
without a special command to do so.

(12) When they state again that the glittering sphere of
heaven revolves with its fiery stars, did not Divine Providence
necessarily forsee that water more than sufficient to temper
the heat of the burning axis should exist within the sphere
of heaven and above it? For the reason that fire makes its
presence felt everywhere, for the same reason, too, water
abounded on the earth, lest it be parched by the heat of the
burning sun and of the twinkling stars and thus delicate
things be injured at their birth by an unfamiliar warmth.ls>
How great a number of springs, rivers, and lakes irrigate
the earth, parched, as it is, by some fire within!16 If, too,
that interior fire does not give life to them, how could the
trees or grain germinate or seedling burst forth or, when
they have sprouted, be brought to maturity? Fire, also,
frequently issues forth from rocks and from wood itself
when a tree is being cut down. Fire, therefore, is a necessary
element in the work of creation in order that things remain
in due order and arrangement and that the clemency of the
sky may temper the rigidity of water. In like manner even
excessive quantities of water are not superfluous, where
there is danger of one element being consumed by another;
unless the proportion of both elements is a suitable one, then

14 Cf. Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.12.

15 Cf. Virgil, Eclogues 6.33-36; vapor for ‘warmth’ is Lucretian (3.126) .

16 Cf. Lucretius 5.457-466.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : TWO

fire may dry up the water, just as water, too, extinguishes
fire.

Accordingly, God balanced the universe with weights and
measures. He has measured even the drops of rain, as we
read in the book of Job.17 Knowing that either there would
be a tendency toward a failure or a dissolution of the
universe, if one element preponderated over the other, He
controlled for that reason the extent of each, so that fire
would not supply more heat, or water more moisture, than
would lead to the diminution of either under His guidance,
by which the superfluous was drained off and a sufficiency
was held in reserve.

Such great streams of mighty rivers still burst forth from
the earth. We have the Nile that inundates Egypt with its
overflowing waters; the Danube which divides the bar¬
barians of the eastern regions from the Roman people, until
it hides itself in the Black Sea; the Rhine which directs its
course from a defile in the Alps until it reaches the depths
of the ocean — a notable barricade for the Roman empire
against savage nations; the Po, a trusty conveyor of mari¬
time produce for the support of Italy; the Rhone, which
with its rapid current cuts the waters of the Tyrrhenian
sea, thereby adding to the perils of sailors, according to
report, because of the struggle for mastery between the
river currents and the sea waves; and, rising in the northern
regions and combining in the Caucasus Mountains with
many other streams, the Phasis River rushes headlong to
the sea. It would be tedious to enumerate the names of each
and every river which either flows into our sea or empties
itself into the ocean. Notwithstanding such an abundance
of water in the world, the soil in the southern zone for the
most part is still scorched and reduced to dust by excessive
heat. The toil of the unhappy farmer is spent in vain, so

17 Cf. Job 36.27.

SAINT AMBROSE

much so that, when the wells and streams are dried up, he
frequently fails to find enough water to sustain life. And
there will be a time when He will say to the deep: ‘Be thou
desolate and I will dry up all the rivers,’18 as through Isaias
He announced the future. But before that day established by
the divine will shall come, no little conflict among them¬
selves is presented by the specific natures of the elements.
Hence, the world is frequently affected by violent inunda¬
tions or is afflicted by the extremes of heat and aridity.

(13) Be not concerned, therefore, with the extraordinary
excess of water in the world; take note, rather, of the force
exercised by heat and you will not be incredulous. Fire is
able to absorb much, a fact which ought to be clear to us
from an experiment. When physicians burn a small candle
and attach it to the inside of certain types of vases, narrow
in the spout, rather flat on top and hollow within, how does
it happen that this heat attracts to itself all the moisture?
Who, therefore, doubts that the burning aether, glowing with
mighty heat, would cause everything to be consumed by
fire if it were not held in check by a law laid down by its
Author, so that neither rivers nor lakes nor the seas them¬
selves could subdue its strength? And so, water falling from
above gushes forth generally in such storms of rain that
rivers and lakes suddenly are filled and the very seas over¬
flow. Hence, we often see the sun, too, veiled in vaporous
exhalations. This is clear proof that the sun, in order to
temper its heat, has appropriated to itself the element of
water.

(14) So great is their zeal in assailing truth that they go
as far as to assert that the sun itself is devoid of heat by
nature, for the reason that it is white and not ruddy or red
as fire is. And so they say it is not fiery by nature and, if

18 Isa. 44.27.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : TWO

it has some heat, they maintain that this is the result of the
unusual speed of its revolutions. This theory ought to be
accepted, they claim, for the reason that the sun does not
seem to consume any moisture, because it does not have a
natural heat by means of which moisture is either diminished
or very often drained off. Notwithstanding these arguments
they do not succeed in their purpose, because it makes no
difference whether heat is natural or acquired or proceeds
from some other cause, since every fire is a consumer of
moisture or of any material such as can be burned by the
application of fire. For, if you touch leaves with a spark
obtained, not from wood which is already partly burned,
but from one produced by the friction of sticks, such a flame
increases its strength, just as if you were to light a torch
from a fire. But if you should kindle a light from a flame or
another lighted object, these two have a fire of the same
appearance and character as if the fire were produced, not
by nature, but by accident.19 These men should, from the
point of view, at least, of the heat of the sun, take note that
God has set different times and places for the sun’s courses,
lest, if it should linger always in the same places, it might
bum them up with its daily heat. Concerning the reasons
for the bitter and salty nature of sea water, the same people
relate that so much water is absorbed by heat as it is obtained
from the confluent rivers, and that so much water is evapor¬
ated each day by the heat as is furnished by the daily inflow
from the various rivers. This phenomenon is held to take
place by a certain power of selection on the part of the sun,
which takes to itself what is pure and light and leaves what
is heavy and earthy. As a result, there is left that salty and
dry quality in the water, unsuited to man’s consumption
and enjoyment.

19 Cf. Lucretius 2.1115.

SAINT AMBROSE

Chapter 4

(15) But let us return to our theme: ‘Let there be a
firmament made amidst the water.’1 Let it not disturb you,
as I have already said, that above He speaks of heaven and
here of a firmament, since David also says: ‘The heavens
narrate the glory of God and the firmament declareth the
work of his hands.’2 That is to say, the created world, when
one beholds it, praises its own Author, for His invisible
majesty is recognized through the things that are visible.3
It seems to me that the word ‘heaven’ is a generic term,
because Scripture testifies to the existence of very many
heavens. The word ‘firmament’ is more specific, since here
also we read: ‘And he called the firmament, heaven.’4 In a
general way, He would seem to have said above that heaven
was made in the beginning so as to take in the entire fabric
of celestial creation, and that here the specific solidity of this
exterior firmament is meant. This is called the firmament
of heaven, as we read in the prophetic hymn, ‘Blessed are
thou in the firmament of heaven.’5

For heaven, which in Greek is called oupavog, in Latin,
caelum, is connected with the word ‘stamped’ [ caelatum\ ,
because the heavens have the lights of the stars impressed
on them like embossed work, just as silver plate is said to
be ‘stamped’ when it glitters with figures in relief. The word
oupavoq seems to be derived from the Greek verb ‘to be
seen’ [opaaBoa]. In distinction, therefore, to the earth,
which is darker, the sky is called oupcxvoq, because it is
bright, that is to say, visible. Hence, I believe, is the origin

1 Gen. 1.6.

2 Ps. 18.2.

3 Cf.. Rom. 1.20.

4 Gen. 1.8.

5 Dan. 3.56.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : TWO

of that expression : ‘The winged ones of heaven always
behold the face of my Father, who is in heaven.’6 And
again: ‘The winged fowl above the firmament of heaven.’7
The powers which exist in that visible place behold all these
things and have them subject to their observation.

(16) Therefore, the heavens were closed in the times of
Elias when godlessness reigned with Achab and Jezabel,8
since the people were made responsible for the sacrilege of
their kings. For that reason, no one attempted to raise his
eyes to heaven, no one paid reverence to his Creator, but,
rather, worshiped sticks and stones. How do we come to this
conclusion? Because in His maledictions against the people
of Israel God said: ‘The heaven that is over thee will be of
brass and your soil of iron,’9 when paying the price of god¬
lessness, the people of Juda were punished by the inclemency
of heaven and the sterility of earth — for heaven is the source
of fertility. Therefore, Moses, too, granted this blessing to
the tribe of Joseph: ‘From the confines of heaven and from
the dew and from the deep that lieth beneath and from the
course of the sun in accordance with the season and from
the months that meet and from the tops of the mountains
and the eternal hills.’10 For it is true that the fruitfulness of
the earth is sustained by heavenly guidance.

Hence, the sky which gives forth no moisture at a time
when no showers break through the clouds has the appear¬
ance of iron. The sky is also of ‘iron’ when the air is dark
and dense, with clouds of the color of iron rust, at a time
when the earth is held in bonds by the rigidity of cold. Then
moisture seems to be suspended over our heads and to be
ready to fall at any moment. Frequently, too, water is

6 Matt. 18.10.

7 Gen. 1.20.

8 Cf. 3 Kings 17.1.

10 Deut. 33.13-15.

SAINT AMBROSE

solidified in the form of snow when subjected to icy winds
at a time when snow falls through the cleft air.

This firmament cannot be broken, you see, without a
noise. It also is called a firmament because it is not weak
nor without resistance. Hence, in dealing with thunderbolts,
which give forth a tremendous crash when currents of air
on the point of arising in the midst of the clouds meet
together in collision, the Scripture speaks of strengthening
the thunderbolt.11 Therefore, the firmament is called because
of its firmness or because it has been made firm by divine
power, just as Scripture teaches us, saying: ‘Praise ye him
in the firmament of his power.’12

(17) And I am not unaware that some refer ‘the heaven
of heavens’ to the intelligible powers, the firmament to the
efficient powers and that the heavens praise and ‘shine forth
the glory of God and the firmament declareth it’13- — yet, as we
have said above, they declare them not as spiritual powers,
but as things of the world. Others also interpret the waters
to mean the purificatory powers. We accept this interpret¬
ation as a simple adornment to our treatise. To us, however,
it does not appear to be inappropriate nor absurd, if we are
to understand these to be real waters for the reasons given
above. According to the hymn of the Prophet, dew, frost,
cold and heat bless the Lord, the earth, too, blesses Him.14
Furthermore, we do not understand the stars to be unseen
powers of nature, but as having real existence. Even dragons
give praise to the Lord, because their nature and aspect, if
one examines them closely, are not without presenting a
certain modicum of beauty and design.

n Cf. Amos 4.13.

12 Ps. 150. 1.

13 Ps. 148.4.

14 Cf. Dan. 3.64,65.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : TWO

Chapter 5

(18) ‘And God saw that it was good.’1 The Son does what
the Father desires. No degeneration of nature is found in
Him whose work does not degenerate from the will of the
Father. He saw, it is certain, but not with corporeal eyes.
He designated that the limit of vision should conform to the
plenitude of His grace,2 by which means His judgment may
be made known to us, for we in fact often dispute even on
subjects which are divine.

What wonder is it, then, if those men who are able to turn
their attention to the work of creation also raise questions
on the generation of the Creator Himself. Him they call to
judgment; Him they dare refer to as unjust and unworthy
of His descent. And so you read both ‘God spoke’ and ‘God
created,’ in which both P’ather and Son are honored with
the same name of majesty. ‘And God saw that it was good.’
He spoke as if speaking to one who knew all the wishes of
His Father. He saw as if He knew all that His Son had
accomplished, acting with Him in community of operation.

(19) ‘He saw that it was good.’ He did not, of course,
recognize that of which He was ignorant. Rather, His ap¬
proval was given to what gave Him pleasure. The work did
not please Him as something unknown, just as the Father,
who was pleased with the Son, was not like one unknown,
as it is written: ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.’3 The Son always knows the will of the Father and
the Father that of the Son. And the Son listens to the Father
and the Father hears the Son through the unity of nature,
will, and substance. The Son, therefore, bears witness to this

1 Gen. UO.

2 Cf. John 1.14.

3 Matt. 3.17.

SAINT AMBROSE

in the Gospel, speaking to the Father: ‘I know that thou
always hearest me.’4

The Son is ‘the image of the invisible God.’5 All that the
Father is, the Son sets forth as an image. The Father illu¬
mines and makes Him manifest for us all as ‘the brightness
of his glory.’6 The Son, too, beholds the work of the Father
and the Father that of the Son, as the Lord Himself has
declared: ‘The Son can do nothing of himself but only what
he sees the Father doing.’7 He sees, therefore, the Father
doing and sees and hears Him in like manner through the
hidden power of His invisible nature. Therefore, He says:
As I hear, so do I judge, and ‘my judgment is true, because
I am not alone, but with me is he who sent me, the Father.’8

(20) This is the mystic sense. The moral sense is this:
‘He saw’ for me; ‘He approved’ for me. What God has
approved, do not consider worthy of blame, since you recall
that the statement, ‘What God has cleansed, do not thou
call common,’9 has been written for you. Hence, let no one
blaspheme what is good before God! If the firmament is
good, how much more so is its Creator, even if the Arians
would not admit it and the followers of Eunomianus should
object, the no less corrupt fruit of a degenerate root!

(21) ‘God saw that it was good.’ Artists usually work
first on individual parts and afterwards join them together
with skill. Those who start to carve out of marble the features
or bodies of men or mould them in bronze or wax10 do not
know exactly how the individual components will blend
together, nor the beauty which will be the result of the final

4 John 11.42.

5 2 Cor. 4.4.

6 Heb. 1.3.

7 John 5.19.

8 John 8.16.

9 Acts 10.15.

10 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 6.847,848.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : TWO

work. And so they dare not praise fully, but praise only
in part.

God, however, as judge of the whole work, forseeing what
is going to happen as something completed, commends that
part of His work which is still in its initial stages, being
already cognizant of its terminaton. This is not to be won¬
dered at, since in His case the completion of a thing does
not depend on the termination of the actual work. It rests,
rather, on the predetermination of His will. He praises each
individual part as befitting what is to come. He praises the
total work, which is compounded of the elegance of each
part. True beauty, in fact, consists of a fitting adjustment
in each part and in the whole, so that the charm in each
part and the full appropriateness of the form in the com¬
pleted work are worthy of commendation.11

(22) But now let us put an end to the second day, lest,
while we are attending to the work of the firmament, we may
cause our hearers to languish because of the prolixity of our
discourse — in a discourse which, prolonged into a night
which is still devoid of the light of a moon and stars, may
bring obscurity to those who are returning home. For the
luminaries of the heavens have not as yet been created.
Our purpose is also to allow our hearers to refresh them¬
selves with food and drink, so that, while their minds have
banqueted, the frailty of their flesh may not find cause to
complain of a fast lasting even until nightfall.

11 Ancient literary criticism followed this pattern; cf. Pliny, Epistola

8.4; 2.5; 3.15.

BOOK THREE: THE THIRD DAY

THE FOURTH HOMILY

vT'r

Chapter 1

\ n our discourse today, the third day rises, as it is
recorded in Scripture, a notable day which freed
the earth from inundation at the bidding of God:
‘Let the waters that are under the heaven be gathered together
into one place.’1 With this fact it is my wish to begin my
preface.

‘Let the waters be gathered together.’ These words were
spoken, and the waters gathered together. It has often been
said, ‘let the people be gathered together,’ and there was no
gathering. It brings no slight blush of shame to see that the
elements which are without sensibility are obedient to the
command of God, whereas men to whom their Author has
bestowed sensibility fail to obey His injunction. And perhaps
it is the same blush of shame which has brought you here
today in greater numbers. It would hardly appear right for
the people to fail to congregate in the church of the Lord on
the day in which water is congregated in one body.

( 2 ) This is not the only example of the obedience of water
available to us, for elsewhere we find it written : ‘The waters

1 Gen. 1.6.

SAINT AMBROSE

saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee and they were afraid.’2
What is said here of the waters does not seem to be without
a semblance of truth, since elsewhere the Prophet also speaks
in the same manner: ‘The sea saw and fled: Jordan was
turned back.3 Who does not know how in actual fact the
sea fled at the crossing of the Hebrews? When the waters
were divided, the people crossed over, believing because of
the dust under their feet that the sea had fled, and that the
waters had vanished. Therefore, the Egyptian believed what
he saw and entered in, but the waters which had fled
returned for him. The waters, then, know how to congregate,
how to fear, and how to flee, when commanded to do so by
God. Let us imitate these waters and let us recognize one
congregation of the Lord, one Church.

(3) There once were gathered here waters from every
valley, from every marsh, from every lake. The valley signi¬
fies heresy; the valley means the people of the Gentiles,
because ‘The Lord is God of the hills, but is not God of the
valleys.’4 Therefore, in the Church there is exultation; among
the heretics and Gentiles, there is grief and weeping. Hence
Scripture says: ‘In the valley he set up tears.’5 Accordingly,
the Catholic people have congregated from every valley.
Now, there are not many congregations; rather, there is one
congregation, one Church. Here, too, was it said : ‘Let waters
be congregated from every valley,’ and there came into
existence a spiritual congregation, one people. Out of here¬
tics and Gentiles has the Church become filled.

The valley is a theater, the valley is a circus where runs the
horse who ‘is useless for safety,’6 where there is vile and

2 Ps. 76.17.

3 Ps. 113.3.

4 3 Kings 20.28.

5 Ps. 83.7.

6 Ps. 32.17.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

abject contention, where there is the ignoble strife of litigants.
From these, then, who used to cleave to the circus has faith
grown in the Church, and daily attendance is increasing.

(4) The marsh is self-indulgence, the marsh is intem¬
perance, the marsh is incontinence, where are found wallow¬
ing places for lusts, the grunts of beasts, and the lairs of
passions. Whoever falls therein is dragged down and does not
emerge. Here men’s feet find no foothold, but waver un¬
certainly. Here water fowls are begrimed when they bathe,
and above us are heard the mournful cries of doves. Here
the sluggish turtle buries himself in the muddy waters.
Therefore we have the sayings: ‘A boar in the marsh,’ ‘a
stag at the fountains.’7 And so from every marsh, where like
frogs they have sung their ancient chant of complaint, has
congregated here faith; here, too, have congregated purity
of heart and simplicity of mind.

(5) Waters have gathered from every lake and from
every pit, so that no one prepares a pit for his brother
wherein he himself may fall.8 Rather, all love each other in
mutual love, all cherish one the other, and support them¬
selves as one body, although of diverse members.9 They find
delight not in the baleful songs sung by theatrical performers,
songs which lead to sensual love, but in the chants of the
Church. Here we hear the voice of the people singing in
harmony the praises of God. The sight of their piety gives us
pleasure. Here are people who find no delight in tapestries
of purple or costly stage curtains. Their pleasure lies rather
in their admiration of this most beautiful fabric of the world,
this accord of unlike elements, this heaven that is ‘spread out
like a tent to dwell in’10 to protect those who inhabit this

7 Cf. Ps. 79.14; 41.2.

8 Cf. Prov. 26.27.

9 Cf. Rom. 12.4.

10 Isa. 40.22.

SAINT AMBROSE

world. They find their pleasure in the earth allotted to them
for their labors, in the ambient air, in the seas here enclosed
in their bounds. In the people who are the instruments of the
operations of God they hear music which echoes from melo¬
dious sound of God’s word, within which the Spirit of God
works. They see this temple here, the holy place of the
Trinity, the habitation of sanctity, the holy Church, in which
gleam those celestial curtains of which it is said: ‘Enlarge
the place of thy tents and of thy curtains; fasten, spare not,
lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes; stretch further
on the right and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the
Gentiles and thou shalt inhabit the desolate cities.’11 The
Church, therefore, has its curtains, by which it raises aloft
the good life, shields the sinner, and overshadows the fault.

(6) This is the Church, which is founded upon the seas
and is prepared upon the rivers.12 For the Church is made
strong and is prepared above you, who flow down as rivers
do from that pure source into the fountain of the world,
of whom it has been said: ‘The floods have lifted up, O
Lord: the floods have lifted up their voices with the voice
of many waters.’ And the Psalmist added: ‘Wonderful are
the surges of the sea; wonderful is the Lord on high.’13
Beneficent are the woods; you have drunk from that perennial
and full spring, whither you are flowing, which says to you :
‘He who believes in me’ (as the Scripture says), ‘from within
him shall flow rivers of living water.’14 He said this, how¬
ever, of the Spirit, whom they who believed in him were to
receive. But, like the waters of the good Jordan, return with
me to the beginning.

11 Isa. 54.2,3.

12 Cf. Ps. 23.2.

13 Ps. 92.3,4.

14 John 7.38.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

Chapter 2

(7) ‘Let the waters,’ Scripture says, ‘that are under the
heaven be gathered together into one place and let the dry
land appear. And it was so done.’1

Perhaps one may not at all believe in our preceding dis¬
cussion, where we have argued that the earth was invisible
for the reason that it was covered with water, so that it
could not be seen by corporeal eyes, for his own point of
view, that is, from our condition here, did the Prophet
speak — not from that of the majesty of divine nature, which,
of course, sees all things. In order to point out to you that
we have undertaken this laborious task, not for the sake of
displaying our talents, but for your instruction, we bring as
witnesses for our cause texts from Scriptures. These clearly
prove that, after the gathering of the water above the earth
and its later falling down into the seas, the dry land appeared.
Let them cease, therefore, as far as we are concerned, to stir
up contentious disputes by saying: How is the earth invisible
when form and color are naturally attached to every body and
every color presupposes a form?

The voice of God cries out: ‘Let the waters be gathered
together and let the dry land appear.’ And again Scripture
says: ‘The waters are gathered together in one place and
the dry land appeared.’2 Why was there need to repeat this,
if the Prophet had not thought it necessary to forestall dis¬
putes? Does he not seem to say: ‘I have not said the earth
was invisible according to nature, but in respect to the in¬
undation of waters?’ Hence, he added that the dry land,
which before was not seen, showed itself when this covering
was removed.

( 8 ) Again, they sow the seeds of other disputes by saying :

1 Gen. 1.9.

2 Ibid.

SAINT AMBROSE

If the waters were in different masses, how came it about, if
these masses were in the upper regions, that the waters did
not flow down to that place where, after the command
given by God, they eventually arrived? For they say it is
natural that waters flow of themselves into lower regions.
Moreover, if these masses were below, how did it come to pass
that they rose up to higher regions, a movement contrary
to the nature of water? Accordingly, either this natural
course did not need God’s command or, notwithstanding
this command, it could not succeed because it is contrary
to nature.

I will gladly respond to this question, if they will first
reply to me and show me that before God’s command this
was the nature of water, namely, flowing and falling down¬
ward. It does not have this quality from association with
the other elements; it is, rather, a special quality, peculiar to
itself. It is not the result of some natural propensity, but
issues from the will and operation of the most high God.
The waters listen to the command of God and the voice of
God is the efficient cause of nature. This voice coincides with
the completion of the effect of its operation. The water
began to flow downwards so as to form one mass — water
which before this had been spread over all the earth and had
settled in numerous lurking places. I had not read of its
course before, of its movements I had been uninformed : my
eye had not seen, nor had my ear heard. The water stood
still in diverse places; at the voice of God it was moved.
Does it not seem that the voice of God gave it this natural
tendency? The creature followed the injunction of its Creator
and from the law proceeded custom, the law of its first
constitution left its imprint for future ages.

Hence, God created day and night at the same time.
Since that time, day and night continue their daily succession
and renewal. The water was ordered to run together in a

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

mass. From that moment, water runs. Springs flow down to
form rivers, rivers run into larger bodies of water;3 lakes find
an outlet in the seas; wave precedes wave, presses on it, and
follows. There is but one way, one mass. Althought the depths
differ, the surface remains, however, at an equal level.
Hence, too, I believe it is called ‘aequor’ [level] because its
surface is level.

(9) I have made my reply according to the point of view
of my adversaries. Let them now answer my question: Have
they ever seen springs shoot up from below? Or water rise
out of the ground? Who compels it to do so? Whence does
it issue forth? How is it that it does not fall? How does it
happen that such deep openings spill forth water? These
phenomena are in accordance with the mysterious secrets
of nature. Moreover, who does not know that water fre¬
quently falls to a very low depth with a great rush and then
rises up to a higher position, even to the summit of a moun¬
tain? Also, that in canals made by a craftsman’s hands, the
water often subsides as much as it previously had been up¬
lifted? Accordingly, if either by its own force or by the
skill of an engineer water is conducted and raised contrary
to its own nature, do we wonder if by the operation of
divine command it has acquired some disposition in its
nature which it did not have before?

They may say now to me how God ‘gathered the waters
of the sea as in a vessel,’ as Scripture has it, and how ‘he
brought forth water out of the rocks.’ Could not He who
brought forth water, which did not exist, out of a rock, also
not guide water which already existed? ‘He struck the rock,’
cried David, ‘and the streams overflowed,’ and elsewhere,
‘above the mountains shall the waters stand.’4 In the Gospel
we read that when there was a severe storm and the sea

3 Cf. Virgil, Aefneid 1.607.

4 Ps. 32.7; cf. 77.16; Ps. 77.20; 103.6.

SAINT AMBROSE

was in violent motion, so much so that the Apostles feared
the dangers of shipwreck and aroused the Lord Jesus who
was asleep in the stern, He arose and rebuked the wind and
the sea and the tempest was abated and calm was restored.6
Could not He who was able to calm the whole sea at His
bidding also move the waters by His command? Well, in the
account of the flood it is related that ‘the fountains of the
great deep were broken up’ and that God afterwards caused
the wind to blow over the deep so as to dry up the waters.6
If these men do not wish to concede that nature obeyed and
that the habitual character of an element was changed by
God’s command, at least they can concede this: the waters
could have been moved by the force of the wind, a pheno¬
menon to be seen every day on the sea, when the waters flow
in the direction of the movement of the wind. If the sea
was dried up by the force of a strong south wind in the time
of Moses,7 could not a body of water be dried up in the
same manner? Did not the waters, too, have the power of
flowing into the sea, water which later on was actually
severed from the bed of the sea? Let them learn that nature
can be changed, after water burst forth from a rock and iron
floated on water,8 a marvel which Eliseus succeeded in doing
by the power of prayer and not by command.

If, therefore, Eliseus caused iron, contrary to nature, to
lose its weight in water, could not Christ put the water
in motion? But He had the power of moving the waters who
was able to say, ‘Lazarus, come forth’9 and bring the dead
back to life, since God always brings to pass what He
ordains. In like manner understand the words: ‘Let the
waters be gathered together in one place,’ and they were

5 Cf. Matt. 8.21,26.

6 Gen. 7.11; cf. 8.1.

7 Cf. Exod. 14.27.

8 Cf. Exod. 17.6; 4 Kings 6.6.

9 John 11.43.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

gathered. By saying: ‘Let them be gathered,’ He not only
moved the waters from their place, but He also set them
down in a place, so that they would not flow away, but
stand still.

(10) The following is on this account a greater marvel:
how all the bodies of water flowed into one body and how
that one body was not full to overflowing. Scripture, too,
reckoned this among extraordinary happenings by stating:
‘All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea doth not over¬
flow.’10 By the command of God, therefore, two things are
accomplished : the waters flow, yet do not overflow. A bound¬
ary is set up by which the seas are circumscribed and con¬
fined, lest the waters inundate everything by pouring over
the earth and lest the earth, devoid of cultivation, may
prevent the soil from fulfilling its natural function of pro¬
ducing in abundance.

Let them recognize the fact, therefore, that this is the
result of divine precept and of celestial operation, for the
Lord addresses Job from the clouds, saying, among other
things, this, also, about the barrier of the sea: ‘I set my
bounds around it and made it bars and doors, and I said:
“hitherto thou come and shalt go no further, but on thyself
shall be broken thine own waves.” ’u Do we not ourselves
often see the sea billowing so that its waves rise up ‘like a
sheer mountain of water,’12 when it breaks its force in foam
against the shore, beaten back by what might be called the
barriers of the low-lying sandy beach, according to what the
Scripture says: ‘Will you not then fear me, saith the Lord,
who has set the sand a bound for the sea?’13 Thus the
violent onslaught of the sea is held in check by the most

10 Eccle. 1.7.

11 Job 38.10,11.

12 Virgil, Aeneid 1.105.

13 Jer. 5.22.

SAINT AMBROSE

unstable of all things, ordinary coarse sand of the seashore.
The waves recoil and are guided to their prescribed bounds
by a command from heaven, and the violent movement of
the water is broken by meeting itself. It then departs in
receding ripples.14

(11) Moreover, unless the force of a celestial decree did
not serve as a check, who would prevent the Red Sea
from pouring over the plains of Egypt (which is claimed to
be flat and low-lying with very deep valleys) and from
mingling its waters with the Egyptian Sea? The men who
wished to connect these two seas and to make them one have
made us aware of the fact. The Egyptian Sesostris of an
older period and Darius the Mede, in virtue of his greater
power, wanted to put into effect what had been attempted
before their time by a native of the country. This fact is
substantial evidence that the Indian Ocean, which includes
the Red Sea, is of higher elevation than the Egyptian Sea,
the level of whose waters is lower. And it may well have been
that both kings relinquished their projects lest the sea, in
headlong rush from a higher to a lower level, should in¬
undate their land.

Chapter 3

(12) And now, on the statement : ‘Let the waters be
gathered together in one place,’ the question would arise:
How could one body of water be formed from what is
scattered over lakes, marshes and swamps, also waters which
inundate valleys, plains and level lands, stemming from
springs and from rivers? Moreover, how could these waters
form one mass, whereas today waters are scattered in diverse
seas? For we speak of such varied seas as these: the ocean,

14 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 1.161.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Indian, Egyptian, and Pontic seas,
the Propontic, the Hellespont, Euxine, Aegean, Ionian, and
Atlantic seas. Many also speak of a Cretic Sea and of a
Northern Caspian. Let us therefore consider the meaning
of the words of Scripture and weigh them with exactitude.

(13) ‘Let the waters,’ He said, ‘be gathered together in
one place.’ The mass of water is continuous and unbroken,
yet there are different coastal bays, as a profane writer
states.1 For the Pontus is a very large bay of our sea [the
Mediterranean] to which different names are given in
different places. Rightly so, because the regions adjacent to
these bodies of water give them special names, yet there is
but one mass of water, because one continuous and unbroken
body of water extends from the Indian sea up the shores
of Cadiz and from there extends to the Red Sea, to the
extreme limit of the world, which is enclosed by the cir¬
cumambient Ocean. Within this circle the Adriatic mingles
with the Tyrrhenian Sea, while other seas form a union
with the Adriatic — seas distinguished from it by name, but
not by a difference of water mass.

Hence, God has fittingly said: ‘The getting together of
waters he called seas.’2 And so there is one general mass
which is called a sea and many bodies of water which are
called seas after the regions where they are situated. Just as
there are many lands, such as Africa, Spain, Thrace, Mace¬
donia, Syria, Egypt, Gaul, and Italy, which are given names
from their respective regions, so there is but one earth. In a
similar manner, there are many seas named after their
locations, but there is but one actual sea, as the Prophet
says: ‘Thine are the heavens and thine is the earth, the
world and the fulness thereof Thou hast founded; the north

1 Cicero, in Timaeus, now a fragment.

2 Gen. 1.10.

SAINT AMBROSE

and the sea thou hast created.’3 And the Lord Himself says
to Job : ‘I have shut up the sea with doors.’4

(14) Now that we have spoken of one mass, the question
arises how a single body of water could drain the land of
water, although that water had previously possessed all the
land, poured into the hollow places in the mountains, plains,
and valleys — water which lay stagnant in an universal in¬
undation. For, if everything was covered in this way — for
He would not have said: ‘The earth appeared,’ unless He
wished to indicate that it was uncovered everywhere — if the
flood in the time of Noe hid even the mountains when there
already was a separation of the waters above the heavens
and those below the firmament — if this were so, then how
can one doubt that the tops of the mountains were hidden
in the inundation we speak of? Whence, then, came that
overabundant supply of water? What reservoirs were there,
so continuous and unbroken as to hold all the water in place?

(15) On this subject there is much at hand for the formu¬
lation of reply. First of all, the Creator of all things had the
power of enlarging space — a power which some before us
have in their private opinion laid down as a possibility.
And I am not overlooking in this case the potency of God;
but what He actually has done, which I have not learned
from the clear testimony of Scripture, I pass over as a
mystery, lest, perchance, that stir up other questions start¬
ing even from this point. Nevertheless, I maintain in accord
with the Scriptures that God can extend the low-lying
regions and the open plains, as He has said: ‘I will go before
thee and make level the mountains.’5 The very force of
water can also make its bed deeper by the violent movements
of the waves and by the impact of the surf of that wild

3 Ps. 88.12,13.

4 Job 38.8.

5 'Isa. 45.2.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

element which day by day stirs up the bottom of the sea,
drawing forth sands from its very depths.

Who, then, knows how far that mighty sea pours its waters
which, unapproachable even to daring navigators, encloses
the British Isles with its innumerable bays and extends even
to remote regions, unknown and unrecorded even in legend¬
ary tales? Who is not aware of the mass of water from the
sea which has seeped into the numerous lakes, such as the
Lucrine and Lake Avernus in Italy, Lake Tiberias, too, in
Palestine, not to mention that lake that lies in the desert
region of Arabia between Palestine and Egypt,6 and the
water which has seeped into the several ports made by
Augustus and by Trajan, as well as into many similar ones
throughout the entire world?

(16) Still, there are some lakes and standing waters
which are not connected with other waters, such as Lake
Como, Lake Garda, the Alban lake — and many others. How
then can one speak of one mass of water? But, just as God
made two luminaries, the sun and the moon — although
there still exist, to be sure, the lights of the stars — in like
manner, we speak also of one mass of water, although there
are very many such. The reason is that what has not been
taken in consideration in any enumeration is not reckoned in
the sum total.

Chapter 4

(17) But it seems that, while I was speaking of the sea,
I exceeded my bounds a little. Let us return to our theme
and let us reflect on the words of the Lord: ‘Let the waters
be gathered together into one place and let the dry land

6 The Dead Sea.

SAINT AMBROSE

appear,’1 He did not say: ‘Let the land appear.’ Who does
not note the appropriateness of this statement? For the
earth could be a composite of mud and water, and thus its
appearance would be concealed by the inundating water.
The term ‘dry” applies not only to the general nature of the
earth, but can also be used in a specific way, so that the
earth may be useful, firm, suitable, and ready for cultivation.
At the same time, it was provided that the earth would, to
all appearance, have been dry by the hand of God rather
than by the sun, for the earth actually became dry before
the sun was created. Wherefore, David, too, distinguished
the sea from the land, referring to the Lord God: ‘For the
sea is his and he made it, and his hands made the dry land.’2

The word ‘dry’ is the expression of a natural characteristic ;
the word ‘earth’ is a simple name of a thing which has in
itself that same characteristic. Just as the word ‘animal’ is a
generic term which includes within it a certain notable
property, and as man has his special characteristic which is
reason, in like manner the word ‘earth’ can be used in¬
differently of what is saturated with water or of a place ‘in
a desert land and where there is no way and no water.’3
Therefore, the land saturated with water has within it ele¬
ments of dryness, as it has been written: ‘He hath turned
rivers into a wilderness and the sources of waters into dry
ground,’4 that is to say, He made dry the land that was
before filled with water.

(18) The earth, therefore, has its own peculiar property,
just as the individual elements have, for each has its own
characteristic: the air is humid, water is cold, and fire is
warm. That these are the chief qualities of each of the

1 Gen. 1.9.

2 Ps. 9-1.5.

3 Ps. 62.3.

4 Ps. 106.33.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

elements can be determined by our observation. If we should
desire to make a test of these elements with our bodily senses
we find that their qualities exist in a certain combination.
For example, we discover earth to be dry and cold; water,
cold and humid; air, warm and humid; fire, warm and dry.
Thus, each and every one of the elements is bound together
by qualities shared in common with some other element.

Since earth has a quality both dry and cold, it is connected
with water by association of its cold quality, and through
water it is related to the air because the air is humid. Hence,
water seems to embrace with its two arms, as it were, cold and
humidity, on the one side, the earth, on the other, air — •
the earth with its quality of coldness, the air with its quality
of humidity. Air, by its nature, also forms an intermediary
between two opposing elements, that is, between water and
fire, for it binds both elements together. It shares with water
the quality of humidity and with fire the quality of warmth.
Fire, too, since it is by nature warm and dry, is bound to air
by its quality of warmth, and, because of its dry quality, is
turned back to form an association and a union with earth.
In this manner these elements, by a circuitous process, meet
together in a dance measure of concord and association.
Hence, the Latin elementa is found in Greek as axoi)(eia,
denoting agreement and harmony.

(19) We have come to this point because Scripture says
that God called the earth ‘dry,’ that is to say, He denominated
by its natural quality that which is its prime characteristic.
The natural characteristic for earth is dryness. This is a
quality reserved for it. Its prime quality, therefore, is dryness.
A secondary quality is that of coldness, but this does not take
precedence over its primary trait. The fact that it is humid
is also derived from its kinship with water. Hence, the former
characteristic is peculiar to the earth, the other is alien: dry¬
ness belongs to earth; humidity is alien to it. The Author

SAINT AMBROSE

of nature accordingly adhered to what He had first granted to
the earth, for one quality is founded on nature; the other
comes from an [external] cause. The peculiar qualities of the
earth, therefore, ought to be determined from the primary
qualities, not from what is accidental, in order that our
knowledge might be formed from an observation of the
preferred characteristic.

Chapter 5

(20) ‘And God saw that it was good.’ We do not fail to
record the fact that some do not believe that either in the
Hebrew or in other versions it is said: ‘The waters were
gathered together into their places and dry land appeared.
And God called the dry land Earth and the gathering to¬
gether of the waters he called Seas.’1 Also, when God said:
‘And it was so done,’2 they are generally of the opinion
that there we have the words of the Creator signifying the
fulfillment of the work. But, because in regard also to other
created things there is found first the formula of a command
and afterwards the repeated indication or execution of a
work, for that reason we do not think that which is con¬
sidered an addition to be in the nature of an absurdity,
even if by other interpreters sufficient proof may be presented
for either its truth or its authenticity. Much that was added
or attached to the Hebrew version by the writers of the
Septuagint we have discovered not to be superfluous.

(21) God saw, then, that the sea was good. The aspect of
this element is beautiful, either when the sea foams with its

1 Gen. 1.10.

2 Gen. 1.9; thus the Vulgate may be translated. The most recent ver¬
sion, ‘And so it was,' follows the Hebrews and Septuagint more
dosely.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

surging white caps and mountings billows, or when it bedews
the rocks with its snowy spray, or even when under a balmy
breeze it shimmers, often in this case presenting itself to the
beholder from afar in colors of purple, suggesting serene
tranquillity. Such is the aspect of the sea when it does not
beat the nearby shores with the onrush of its waves, but
when the waters greet it, as it were, in a fond embrace of
peace. How gentle is the sound, how pleasing the splash of
the water, how pleasant and rhythmic the wave-beats !
Notwithstanding all this, I am of the opinion that the beauty
of such a creation is not to be estimated by the standard
of our own eyes, but is to be gauged in the design of the
work as a whole by its conformity and agreement with the
intention of its Creator.

(22) The sea, therefore, is good; first, because it supplies
the moisture necessary for the earth, to which it furnishes,
so to speak, a sustaining fluid through the hidden apertures
of its veins. The sea is good in its functions as a biding-place
for the rivers, as a source of rainfall, as a place for the
reception of alluvial deposits, as a carrier of merchandise,
thereby linking distant people together. Furthermore, the
sea defends us from the perils of warfare; by the sea, the
fury of the barbarian is hedged in; the sea provides support
in times of necessity, a refuge in times of danger, a delightful
place for seekers after pleasure; it is a source of health for
the sick,3 it joins together the separated; to voyagers it is a
time-saver, to men in trouble a place of escape, to tax-payers
it is an aid, and to the farmer in distress it is a means of
livelihood. From the sea we obtain rain for the earth, since
water is drawn from the sea which is deprived of its moisture
by the sun’s rays. Then, the higher it reaches, the colder it
becomes by reason of the shadowy coolness of the clouds. As
a result, we have rainfall, which not only relieves the earth

3 See Mullach, Fragmenta phil. Gmec. I 518a vs 15.

SAINT AMBROSE

of its dryness, but also provides nourishment to the famish¬
ing fields.

(23) Why need I enumerate the islands, which often
adorn the sea with their jewelled necklaces? Men who hide
themselves there seek to escape from the world with all its
inducements to intemperate living with a firm purpose to live
in continence and thereby avoid the dubious conflicts of this
life. The sea, then, is a hiding-place for the temperate,
an abode for those who wish to practice continency, a refuge
for those in distress, a haven for the secure, a place of tran¬
quillity for the unworldy and a place in this world for the
prudent and moderate. Moreover, it provides an incentive to
devout living for the faithful, so that they may rival the
gentle sound of lapping waters with the songs of the psalms.
Thus, the islands voice their approval with their tranquil
chorus of blessed waters and with the singing of pious hymns
resound.

How is it possible for me to comprehend all the beauty
of the sea — a beauty beheld by the Creator? Why say more?
What else is that melodic sound of the waves if not the
melody of the people? Hence, the sea is often well compared
to a church which ‘disgorges a tide’ through all its vestibules
at the first array of the approaching congregation;4 then, as
the whole people unite in prayer, there is a hiss of receding
waves; the echo of the psalms when sung in responsive
harmony by men and women, maidens and children is like
the sound of breaking waves. Wherefore, what need I say of
this water other than it washes away sin and that the
salutary breath of the Holy Spirit is found in it?

(24) May God grant us our prayer: to sail on a swift
ship under a favorable breeze and finally reach a haven of
safety; that we may not be exposed to spiritual obstacles
too great to overcome; that we may not meet with ship-

4 Virgil, Georgies 2.462.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

wreck to our faith. We pray, also, for a peace profound and,
if there be anything that may arouse the storms of this
world against us, that we may have as our ever-watchful
pilot our Lord Jesus, who by His command can calm the
tempest and restore once more the sea’s tranquillity.5 To
Him be honor and glory in perpetuity, both now and forever,
and for all ages to come. Amen.

5 Matt. 8.26; Luke 8.24.

SAINT AMBROSE

THE FIFTH HOMILY
Chapter 6

(25) When the waters receded, it was proper that a
special aspect and charm be bestowed on the earth so that
it would cease ‘to be invisible and without form.’1 For many
maintain that a thing is invisible because it has no special
aspect. For that reason they hold that the earth was invisible
- — not because it could not be seen by the most high God or
by His angels, but because it was without a special aspect.
It could not be seen by men or even beasts because they had
not yet been created. What provides this aspect for the
earth is the soil’s verdure and vegetation. Hence, in order
to bestow visibility and form on the earth, God says: ‘Let
the earth bring forth the green herb and such as may seed
and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may
have seed in itself upon the earth.’2

( 26 ) Let us pay heed to the words of truth ! Their content
is the salvation of those who hear! For that first declaration
of God is a law of nature which requires that every creature
be bom. This law has continued in force for all ages, with
the intent to prescribe how a continuous succession of plants
may experience in time to come modes of generation and
fructification.3 And so, first there is germination, when the
seeds seem to burst forth newly born; next, when the sprout
has burst forth and becomes a green shoot; when the green
shoot has grown a little it becomes the green herb. How
serviceable, how effective, is the speech: ‘Let the earth
bring forth the green herb,’ that is so say, let the earth bring

1 Gen. 1.2.

2 Gen. 1.11.

3 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 2.122-134.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

forth of itself, let it not seek the aid of another, let it not be
needful of any other ministrations.

(27) Many, it is true, are accustomed to state that the
earth could not have germinated without the warmth of the
sun’s temperate heat and in some way by its fostering rays.
Hence, the Gentiles bestow divine honors on the sun, because
it penetrates the bowels of the earth with the power of its
heat and in that way cherishes the scattered seed or frees
from the bonds of frost the sap of the trees. Listen, then, to
God who utters words like these: Let the foolish speech of
men be silent for future time, let their baseless opinions
cease to be! Before the light of the sun shall appear, let the
green herb be born, let its light be prior to that of the sun.
Let the earth germinate before its receives the fostering care
of the sun, lest there be an occasion for human error to grow.
Let everyone be informed that the sun is not the author of
vegetation. The earth is freed through the clemency of God;
the fruit of the earth emerges therefrom through His indul¬
gence. How can the sun give the faculty of life to growing
plants, when these have already been brought forth by the
life-giving creative power of God before the sun entered
into such a life as this? The sun in younger than the green
shoot, younger than the green plant!

Chapter 7

(28) And perhaps some may wonder why sustenance for
animals was provided before food for man was created.
In this matter we ought to take note of the depths of God’s
wisdom,1 in that He does not neglect the least of things.
For, the divine Wisdom utters these words in the Gospel:
‘Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or

1 Cf. Rom. 11.33.

SAINT AMBROSE

gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you of much more value than they?’2 If these have their
food through the kindness of God, then no one ought to
pride himself on his own industry and natural ability. And
no one ought to give simple and natural food precedence
over the rest. The former is the food of the temperate; the
rest of foods contribute to delight and luxury. One is common
to all living things; the other, to a few. Hence, such a fact
furnishes us with an example for frugal living, and is a
wise injunction that we ought to be content to live on simple
herbs, on cheap vegetables and fruits such as nature has
presented to us and the generosity of God has offered to us.
This sort of food is wholesome and useful, too, in that it
wards off disease and prevents indigestion. No human labor
has provided it; it is, rather, the bounteous gift of God.
Vegetables are at hand which were not sown; there is fruit
that needed no seed — all so sweet and pleasant that they
furnish enjoyment even to those who have already sated
themselves. In a word, the food that was used for the first
course continued to be used for the second.

(29) What more need I add to the theme of the marvels
of this creation and to the proof of the existence of a Creative
Wisdom? For, in the appearance of a bud on the one hand,
and in the provision of a green herb, on the other, there
lies an image of the life of man and what may be termed a
clear indication and mirror of our nature and of our condi¬
tion. That green herb and flower of the field are a figure
of the flesh of man, as the true interpreter of divinity has
expressed in organ tones: ‘Cry! What shall I cry? All flesh
is grass and all the glory of man is as the flower of the field.
The grass is withered and the flower is fallen, but the word
of the Lord endureth forever.’3 This is the thought of God

2 Matt. 6.26.

3 Isa. 40.6-9; 1 Peter 1.24.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION I THREE

though uttered by the voice of man. God says: ‘Cry,’ but
He speaks in the person of Isaias, who answered: ‘What
shall I cry?’ and, as he had heard what he should say, added:
‘All flesh is grass.’ And with truth, for the glory of man
waxes green in his flesh like grass, and what is considered to
be sublime is actually a lowly green herb. Blooming early as
a flower and briefly as the green herb, it has the outward
appearance of vigor, but its fruit has no lasting quality. It
displays like a flower the joys of a happy existence, but is
destined to pass away in all too brief a moment like the
green herb, ‘which withereth before it be plucked up.’4 For
what strength can there be in flesh, what enduring quality
can there be in health?

Today you may behold a youth who is strong and vigorous
in the flower of his age, pleasing in aspect and with the
fine glow of health.6 Tomorrow you meet the same youth,
but how changed are his form and features!6 The young
man who the previous day appeared to luxuriate in health
and beauty is now an object of pity, prostrate and weakened
by the inroads of some illness. Toil or want take their toll of
health: some suffer from stomach ills; others from abuse of
wine. Still others are enfeebled by old age; others are emas¬
culated and disfigured by overindulgence in pleasure. Is it
not true that ‘the grass is withered and that the flower has
fallen?’7

Another man, who claims nobility from his grandfather
and great-grandfather8 and has been made illustrious by
the insignia of offices held by his ancestors, a man re¬
nowned by the trappings of his noble birth, abounding in
friends, surrounded on both sides by a crowd of clients

4 Ps. 128.6.

5 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 1.168.

6 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 2.274.

7 Isa. 40.7.

8 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 7.56.

SAINT AMBROSE

who accompany him like a troop of slaves to and from his
house9 — should this man suddenly find himself faced with
some passing peril, he is abandoned by all, he is shunned
by his friends and assailed by his relatives. Consider how
true it is that the life of man is like the grass of the field,
‘which withereth before it is plucked up.’

There is also the man who for a long time has had
abundance of wealth, the fame of whose generosity has
flitted over the lips of every man,10 a man renowned for
his honors, outstanding in power, with a lofty seat in the
tribunals, enthroned aloft and regarded as happy by the
populace while he is being announced by the cries of the
heralds. By a sudden change of fortune he is dragged
away into the same prison into which he himself had cast
others. Among his own victims he bewails in anguish his
impending punishment. What crowds of sycophants and
what a invidious procession of throngs of people had formerly
conducted him from his home! Just one night put an end
to the splendor of that triumphal pomp! Human glory of
this kind is like a flower of the field which, even when it is
taken away, contributes nothing to the labor. From it no
fruit is obtained and, when it is allowed to fall, it fades
away, depriving man of the protective covering by which
he is shaded from above and animated within.

(31) Would that we could imitate the green herb con¬
cerning which the Lord speaks: ‘Let the earth bring forth
the green herb and such as may seed and the fruit tree
yielding fruit after its kind of a like nature.’11 Let us sow,
therefore, the seed after its kind. What that kind is, hear
the Apostle who says that we ought to seek after that divine
seed, if we would succeed in any way in finding the divine:

9 Cf. Sallust, Bellum Jug. 85.10.

10 Cf. Ennius, cited by Cicero, Tusculan Disputations 1.34.

11 Gen. 1.11.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

‘Though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live
and move and have our being as some of you,5 he adds, ‘have
said: “For we are also his offering.” 512

Following this principle, let us sow the seed, not in the
flesh, but in the spirit. For we ought not to sow carnal
seeds, but spiritual ones,13 if we desire to attain eternal life.
And what that ‘likeness5 is you are not unaware, you who
have been made to the ‘image and likeness5 of God. The
green herb corresponds to its kind. You do not correspond
to your kind. When a grain of wheat is scattered over the
soil it returns the gift of its kind; but you degenerate. Grain
does not dishonor the true character of its seed ; you dishonor
the purity of your soul, the vigor of your mind, the chastity
of your body.

(32) Do you recognize the fact that you are the work
of Christ? With His own hands He formed you, as we read,
yet you, Manichaean, you assume for yourself another author.
God the Father says to His Son: ‘Let us make man to our
image and likeness,514 yet you, adherent of Photinus, say
that in the construction of the world there was no Christ.15
And you, follower of Eunomius, say the Son is unlike the
Father. For if He is His image, then He is in no wise
dissimilar; rather, He reflects entirely His Father, who im¬
pressed on Him the unity of His substance. The Father
says: ‘Let us make5; yet you refuse to co-operate. The Son
carried out what the Father spoke, yet you deny the equality
in Him in whom the Father was well pleased.16

12 Acts 17.27,28.

13 Cf. 1 Cor. 9.11.

14 Gen. 1.26; cf. 1.27.

15 See Vol. 22 of this series, p. 329.

16 Cf. Matt. 3.17.

SAINT AMBROSE

Chapter 8

(33) ‘Let the earth/ He said, ‘bring forth the green herb
after its kind.’1 All things which are referred to as growing
in the earth begin with a seed. When it has emerged a little
it becomes a green shoot, then a stalk, and finally bears
fruit. There are growing plants which spring from the root,
such as trees which are not sown from seed, but grow from
the roots of other trees. We see in the case of a reed how at
its base there emerges from its side a sort of bulb from
which other seeds germinate. There is in the root, therefore,
something which has the potency of a seed. There are
grafted plants, too, which germinate higher up. Hence,
some plants reproduce themselves from the root; others are
reproduced in diverse ways. For in every growing thing there
is either a seed or something which has the power of a seed.
These plants follow their kind, so that what emerges from
them is similar to what has been sown or like those from
whose roots they germinate. As examples we can point to the
fact that wheat produces wheat and that from millet comes
millet; again, the pear tree with its white flowers2 produces
pears, and the chestnut trees springs from the root of the
chestnut.

(34) ‘Let the earth/ He said, ‘bring forth the green herb
after its kind.’ And forthwith the earth in labor brought
forth new plants; girding herself with the garments of ver¬
dure, she luxuriated in fecundity, and decked in diverse
seedlings, she claimed them as her own fitting adornments.
We marvel at the speed of that productivity. How many
more wonders appear, if you examine each plant, noticing
how the seed when laid in the earth decays and, if it did
not die, would bear no fruit; but when it decays, by that

1 Gen. 1.11.

2 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 2.71,72.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

very act of death, arises to bear fruit in greater abundance.3
The pliable sod receives, then, a grain of wheat;4 the scat¬
tered seed is controlled by the use of the hoe and mother
earth cherishes it in firm embraces to her breast. When that
grain decays, there comes the pleasing aspect of the green
burgeoning shoot, which immediately reveals its kind from
its similarity to its own seed, so that you may discover the
nature of the plant even in the very beginning of its growth,
and its fruit, too, is made evident to you. Gradually, it grows
so as eventually to attain full maturity and height. At the
point when the jointed stalk emerges, sheaths for the grain
to come are being prepared. Within these the grain is being
formed, so that cold may not cause injury to the plant in its
tender beginnings, or the heat of the sun burn it, or the cruel
violence of the wind and rain beat it to the ground. In addi¬
tion, the ear of wheat has wonderfully formed rows both
pleasing in appearance and made for the protection of the
plant, resulting from their naturally interwoven texture
which is the creation of divine Providence. Moreover, in
order to serve as a support for and to offset the weight of a
more abundant number of ears, the stalk itself is enclosed
in what may be termed sheaths, so that by its reinforced
strength it can sustain manifold grains of wheat and that
it may not be bent towards the earth because of its inability
to bear its burden. Then, over the ear is erected a rampart
in the form of a beard, so that a line of defense may be
extended to protect the ear from injury from the attacks
of little birds, by which means the wheat grain is keep
intact from the devastion of their claws.5

( 35 ) What shall I say of the kindness of God in providing
things useful for the human race? The earth returned with

3 Cf. John 12.24.

4 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 1.44.

5 Cf. Cicero, De senectute 15.51, for language and thought.

SAINT AMBROSE

interest what it had received, even with compound interest!
Men often deceive and often defraud the money-lender of
his just due. But the earth remains faithful to promises and,
if at time it does not pay back, if, perchance, severe cold or
extraordinary dry weather or tremendous rain storms bring
disaster, the losses of a single year are counterbalanced by
the year which follows. And so, when the harvest belies the
hopes of the farmer, in no way does the earth forsake him.
Again, when she smiles on him, fertile Mother Earth pours
forth her offspring, so that she never incurs a loss to her
creditors.

(36) When the land, in fact, is completely stocked, how
can we, if we are to rely on our tongue, satisfactorily des¬
cribe the pleasant sights and scents and the joys of the
countryman? But we have the testimony of the Scripture,
wherein we note that the delights of the countryside are
compared to the blessing and grace of the saints, for Isaac,
a holy man, says: ‘The smell of my son is the smell of a
plentiful field.’6

How can I describe the violets with their shades of purple,
the lilies of brilliant white, and the roses with their shades of
red? How describe the landscape painted with flowers, some¬
times of a golden hue or of varied colors or of bright yellow,
among which you cannot decide whether their beauty or
their fragrant scent gives more delight.7 Our eyes revel in
this pleasant spectacle as that fragrance which fills us with
its sweetness is spread far and wide. Whence the Lord has
justly said: ‘And with me is the beauty of the field.’8 This
beauty is with Him because He has created it. What other
artist could so depict such charm in each and every object?

‘Consider the lilies of the field,’ what brilliance in their

6 Gen. 27.27.

7 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 2.132.

8 Ps. 49.11.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

petals, how they appear to arise in packed rows all the way
to the top so as to form a goblet ! Note how within it gleams
like gold, and, furthermore, how around its edge as a defense
against any injury a kind of rampart is constructed! If any
one were to pluck this flower and take each petal apart,
what craftsman’s hand is so expert as to be able to restore
the form of the lily? Who is such an effective imitator of
nature as to presume to reconstruct this flower, to which the
Lord has so borne testimony as to say: ‘Not even Solomon
in all his glory was so arrayed like one of these’?9 A king so
rich and wise was deemed inferior to the beauty of this
flower!

(3) Why should I enumerate the health-giving juices
of herbs or the remedies provided by shrubs and leaves?
When a stag is sick, he eats the branches of the olive tree and
becomes well. The leaves of the olive, too, cure the locusts
of illness. The application of the leaves of a bramble to a
serpent bring about his death. Gnats will not trouble you if
you anoint yourself with wormwood which has been cooked
in oil.

Chapter 9

(38) But some perhaps may say: How do you account
for the fact that deadly poisonous plants grow along with
those that are of use, for example, there is found along with
wheat the poisonous hemlock, a plant discoverable among
those that support life. Unless you are on your guard
against it, this plant can injure your health. Found grow¬
ing among other plants that help to sustain life are hellebore
and monk’s hood, which too often delude and deceive the
gatherer.1 But would you find fault with the earth because

9 Matt. 6.28,29.

1 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 2.152.

SAINT AMBROSE

not all men are good? What is of more consequence, you
should realize that not all the angels of heaven were good.
The sun itself by its excessive heat parches the ears of wheat
and causes the young growing plants to wither, whereas
the moon shows voyagers the way and reveals the lurking
places of robbers.2 Is it right, therefore, that we disregard
the bounty of the Founder in furnishing us useful things
and, just because of certain noxious plants, detract from the
forethought of the Creator? Some people act as if every¬
thing had to be created for our gourmandizing or as if there
was just a trifling amount left by the kindness of God to
minister to our appetites. Definite foods have been allotted
to us which are known to all, foods which provide us with
both pleasure and physical health.

(39) Each and every thing which is produced from the
earth has its own reason for existence, which, as far as it
can, fulfills the general plan of creation. Some things, there¬
fore, are created for our consumption; other things serve
for other uses. There is nothing without a purpose; there is
nothing superfluous in what germinates from the earth. What
you consider as useless has use for others; as a matter of
fact, it often is useful to you in another way. That which
does not serve for food has medical qualities, and it often
happens that what is harmful to you provides harmless food
for birds or wild beasts. Thus, starlings feed on the hemlock
without any ill effects, since by their physical nature they
are immune to its deadly and poisonous sap. Such sap, in
fact, is cold by nature, which, when conducted through
fine pores into the region of the heart, by a process of
premature digestion is prevented from reaching the vital
organs themselves. Those who are expert on the nature of
hellebore say that it provides food and sustenance to quails
and that through a certain natural composition of their

2 Cf. St. Ambrose, Hymns 2.7 ( nocturna lux viantibus) .

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

bodies these animals become immune to its harmful effects.
The fact is that through medical science this plant frequently
serves to preserve the health of the human body, to which
it seems to be adverse. As a consequence, what the doctor’s
hand converts to the preservation of our health becomes
even to a greater degree, through its natural qualities, a
means for providing food for others. Slumber is often induced,
too, by the use of the mandrake, whenever the sick are
troubled by their inability to sleep. Why need I speak of
opium which has come to be used almost daily, inasmuch
as severe intestinal pains are allayed by its use? And it has
not escaped our notice that the ravings of the sensual
passions frequently have been stayed by hemlock and that
with hellebore the prolonged sufferings of a sick body have
found relief.

(40) The Creator, therefore, is not liable to blame in these
matters; actually, His bounty is increased thereby, inasmuch
as what you believed was created to bring danger to you is
designed to bring to you health-giving remedies. That which
leads to danger is directed otherwise by Providence and what
is conducive to our health is not lost through our own
prudence and industry.

Is it true that, following a mysterious urge of nature,
sheep and goats have learned to shun what is harmful to
them and for this purpose are able to make use of smell
alone, since they are devoid of reason? Do they not go so
far as to recognize a way of avoiding danger and of protect¬
ing their health? Do they not distinguish between what is
likely to be noxious and what will be beneficial? So true is
this that they are said frequently to look for herbs known
to them and to apply these as a remedy to a wound when
they sense that they have been hit with poisoned weapons.
Food, therefore, becomes for them a medicine. As a result,
you may behold arrows in the act of falling from a wound,

SAINT AMBROSE

the poison actually vanishing and not adhering. Furthermore,
poison is a food for stags. The snake flees a stag and slays a
lion. The dragon winds himself around an elephant, whose
downfall brings death to the victor. Thus, they both strive
with their utmost strength, one to bind fast the other’s foot
so that the fall of the vanquished cannot harm him; the
other, so that he may not be surprised in a narrow passage¬
way when trailing the herd and thus be caught by a hind
leg. In such a situation the elephant would be unable to
turn around and crush the dragon with his heavy foot or
have the assistance of another elephant at his rear.

(41) Therefore, if irrational animals know what herbs
may serve as medicine or what methods may bring assistance
to them, can man, who is born with the faculty of reason,
be ignorant of this? Or is he such a stranger to truth that
he cannot at all perceive what are the uses especially de¬
signed for everything? Or is he so ungrateful for the good
things provided by nature that, because a draught of bull’s
blood is deadly to man, this laborious animal ought not for
that reason be born or ought to be created without blood?
Yet, he possesses a quality which is useful in the cultivation
of the fields, adaptable for the service of ploughing and for
sustenance, a precious possession. By his manifold uses he
in a sound prop to farmers, for whom — should they come
to know their own blessings3 — God has created all things
with the words: ‘Let the earth bring forth the green herb
and such as may seed after its kind.’4 For He has included
in this statement not only what contributes to the farmers’
support from herbs, roots, trees and other plants which grow
without seed, but He also includes such produce as is
acquired by the industrious skill of the toiler of the fields.

( 42 ) How fitting is it that He did not command the earth

3 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 2.458.

4 Gen. 1.11.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION I THREE

generously to give forth seed and fruits, but ordained that
the fields should first germinate and then bring forth plants.
Next He bade the seed to grow according to the specific
nature of its kind, so that at no time would the landscape be
without its charm ; first, the verdure of spring for our pleasure,
and later the heaped-up piles of harvest for our use.

Chapter 10

(43) Perhaps someone might say: How does the earth
produce seed according to its kind, when often the seed
sown degenerates and, although good wheat was sown, the
result is a wheat plant of a quality inferior in color and in
form? If this ever happens, one should not attribute this
deterioration to a change of species, but rather, it seems, to
to some inferiority or some disease in the seed. It does not
cease to be wheat if it has been blighted by frost or mildewed
by rain. It has been changed in appearance rather than in
kind, and also in color as a result of the corruption it has
undergone. Hence, it frequently happens that mildewed
grain returns to the appearance of its stock, if it is exposed
to the heat of the sun or of fire, or if it is entrusted to care¬
ful cultivators, who cherish it by protecting it from in¬
clemencies of climate and foster it in soil that is fertile.
In this way, what has suffered degeneration in the parent
stock is restored in the next generation. Hence, there is no
danger that the precept of God, to which nature has accus¬
tomed itself, may become void in future time by a failure of
propagation, since today the integrity of the stock is still
preserved in the seeds.

(44) We know that cockle and the other alien seeds which
often are interspersed among fruits of the earth are called
‘weeds’ in the Gospel. These, however, belong to a special

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species and have not degenerated into another species by a
process of mutation from the seed of the wheat plant. The
Lord told us that this is so when He said: ‘The kingdom of
heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but
while men were asleep, his enemy came an,d sowed weeds
among the wheat.’ We gather from this that weeds and wheat
certainly seem to be distinct both in name and in kind.
Hence, the servants, too, said to the householder: ‘Sir, didst
thou not sow good seed in thy field? How then does it have
weeds? He said to them: “An enemy has done this.” n One
is the seed of the Devil; the other, that of Christ which is
sown in accordance with justice. Therefore, the Son of Man
sowed one and the Devil sowed the other. For that reason
the nature of each is distinct, since the sowers are opposed.
Christ sows the kingdom of God, whereas the Devil sows sin.
How, therefore, can this kingdom be of one and the same
race as sin? ‘This is the kingdom of God,’ He says, ‘as though
a man should cast seed into the earth.’1 2

(45) There is a Man who sows the word, of whom it is
written: ‘The sower sows the word.’3 This Man sowed
the word over the earth when He said: ‘Let the earth bring
forth the green herb,’ and immediately the seeds came to
birth and diverse were the species of things which shone
forth in brilliance. At this point the fields in their beautiful
green color furnished abundance of food; the yellowing ears
of wheat in the fields suggested an image of the billowing
sea in the waving of that rich harvest in the breeze. Of itself
the earth brought forth profusely all kinds of fruits. Although
it could not be ploughed in the absence of a cultivator —
for the farmer had not yet been created — the earth, though
unplowed, teemed with rich harvests, inasmuch as an in-

1 Cf. Matt. 3.24-27.

2 Mark 4.26.

3 Mark 4.14.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

101

dolent husbandman did not have occasion to defraud the
earth of its abundance. For each plant attains fertility
according to the merits of the labor involved in the cultivation
of the fields. Punishment is meted out for our neglect or
remissness if the soil be deprived of its rich abundance
either by flood or aridity, the fall of hailstones or by some
other misfortune. Then, too, the earth everywhere brought
forth spontaneously fruits of the soil, because He who is the
fullness of the universe had so ordained it.4 The word of God
fructified on the earth and the earth had not, because of any
curse, suffered condemnation. The origins and birth of the
world are more remote than our sins and more recent than
our error, because of which we have been condemned ‘to
eat bread in the sweat of our face,’5 and without sweat to
be incapable of sustaining life.

(46) Even today the fertility of the earth carries into
effect its age-old fecundity by exercise of spontaneous growth,
for you see how many plants are still grown without being
sown. But even in much that is gathered by the labor of
our hands there still remains a large part of our produce
which, by the kindness of Providence, comes without effort
to us while we are at rest. This we are taught by the reading
of the Gospel before us, wherein the Lord says: ‘This is the
kingdom of God, as though a man should cast seed into the
earth, then sleep and rise night and day and the seed should
sprout and grow without his knowing it. For of itself the
earth bears the crop, first the blade, then the ear, then the
full grain in the ear. But when the fruit is ripe, immediately
he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come.’6 There¬
fore, while you are asleep, man, and without your knowing
it, the earth of itself produces its fruits. You fall asleep and

4 Cf. Col. 1.19.

5 Gen. 3.19.

6 Mark 4.26-29.

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then rise, marveling how the grain has increased in the
course of one night.

Chapter 11

(47) We have often spoken concerning the green herb;
now let us discuss the plant that bears fruit according to its
kind, ‘which may have seed in itself.’1 ‘He spoke and they
were made,’2 and immediately the earth was adorned with
groves as formerly it had been decked with flowers and
with the verdure of the grass of the fields. The trees were
assembled; the forests arose and the peaks of the hills were
clothed with leaves. Here the pine and there the cypress
raised aloft their towering heads; the cedars and the pitch-
pines gathered in groups. The fir tree also advanced in pro¬
cession, a tree which was not satisfied to have its roots in
the earth and its head on high, but was destined, while
mariners are safe, to undergo perils from wind and wave
on the sea. The laurel, too, gave forth its scent as it rose, a
shrub never to be denuded of its foliage. There arose, also,
the shady evergreen oak, destined to preserve its shimmering
even in winter time. For nature maintained in every case
through future ages the prerogatives which had been im¬
pressed on it at the moment of Creation. Hence, the ever¬
green oak and the cypress adhere to these prerogatives, so
that no wind may despoil them of the adornment of their
locks.

(48) Mingling formerly with the flowers of the earth
and without thorns, the rose, most beautiful of all flowers,
displayed its beauty without guile; afterwards, the thorn
fenced around this charming flower, presenting, as it were,

1 Gen. 1.11.

2 Ps. 32.9.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

103

an image of human life in which what is pleasing in our
activities is often acccompanied with the stings of anxieties
which everywhere surround us. In fact, the elegance of our
life is entrenched and hedged about by certain cares, so that
sadness is close neighbor to beauty. Hence, when each one
of us find joys either in the pleasing exercise of our reason
or in the attainment of more than usual success in life, it is
fitting that we should call to mind this sin of ours, by means
of which there was imposed upon us by rightful condemna¬
tion the mind’s thorns and the spirit’s brambles, when we
were happily sojourning amid the delights of paradise.
Although you may shine, man, with the splendor of nobility
or by reason of your superior power or by the brilliance of
your virtue, the thorn is ever close to you, the bramble is
ever near you. Ever be mindful of what is beneath you. You
blossom into life above a thorn and this beauty does not
last for long. In a brief passage of time each and every one
of us withers in the flower of his age.

Chapter 12

(49) In truth, while you realize that you possess frailty
in common with the flowers, you know that you have access
to delight in the. use of the vine, from which is produced
wine, wherein the heart of man finds cheer.1 Would that,
man, you could imitate the example of this species of plant,
so that you may bear fruit for your own joy and delight.
In yourself lies the sweetness of your charm, from you does
it blossom, in you it sojourns, within you it rests, in your
own self you must search for the jubilant quality of your

l Cf. Ps. 103.15.

104

SAINT AMBROSE

conscience. For that reason He says: ‘Drink water out of
thine own cistern and the streams of thine own well.’2

First of all, there is nothing more pleasing than the scent
of a blossoming vine. Furthermore, the juice when extracted
from the flower of this vine produces a drink which is
pleasureable and health-giving. Again, who does not marvel
at the fact that from the seed of the grape springs forth a
vine that climbs even as high as the top of a tree? The vine
fondles the tree by embracing and binding it with the ten¬
tacles of its hands and arms, clothes it with vine leaves,
and crowns it with garlands of grapes. In imitation of our
life, the vine first plants deep its living roots; then, because
its nature is flexible and likely to fall, it uses its tendrils like
arms in order to hold tight whatever it seizes. By this means
it raises itself and lifts itself on high.3

(50) Similar to this vine are the members of the Church,
who are planted with the root of faith and are held in check
by the vine-shoots of humility. On this subject the Prophet
beautifully says: ‘Thou hast brought a vineyard out of
Egypt: thou plantest the roots thereof and it filled the land.
The shadow of it covered the hills and the branches thereof
the cedars of God. It stretched forth its branches unto the
sea and its boughs unto the river.’4 And the Lord Himself
spoke through Isaias, saying: ‘My beloved had a vineyard
on a hill in a fruitful place. And I fenced it in and dug
around the vine of Sorech and I built a tower in the midst
thereof.’5 He fenced it in with a rampart, as it were of
heavenly precepts and with the angels standing guard, for
‘the angel of the lord shall encamp round about them that
fear him.’6 He placed in the Church a tower, so to speak,

2 Prov. 5.15.

3 For the entire passage, cf. Cicero, De senectute 15.52.

4 Ps. 79.9-12.

5 Isa. 5.1,2.

6 Ps. 33.8.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

105

of Apostles, Prophets, and Doctors, ready to defend the
peace of the Church. He dug around it, when He had freed
it from the burden of earthly anxieties. For nothing burdens
the mind more than solicitude for the world and cupidity
either for wealth or for power.

There occurs an example of this in the Gospel, where we
can read the story of the woman ‘who had sickness caused
by a spirit, and she was bent over, so that sh,e was unable
to look upwards.’7 Bent over, in fact, was her soul, which
inclined to terrestrial rewards and possessed not heavenly
grace. Jesus beheld her and addressed her; immediately
she laid aside her earthly burdens. These people also were
burdened with these cupidities to whom He addressed these
words: ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened
and I will give you rest.’8 And so the soul of that woman
breathed once more and stood erect like a vine around which
the soil has been dug and cleared.

(51) But the same vine, after the soil has been cleared
around it, is raised up and bound, so that it may not bend
back towards the ground. Some of the shoots are pruned;
others are allowed to grow. Those branches which grow in
aimless profusion are pruned; those which the good culti¬
vator reckons to be productive are permitted to grow. What
need is there to describe the rows of stakes and the orderly
process of binding the vine shoots? These operations teach
us truly and clearly that equality should be observed in the
Church, so that no man of wealth and high position should
exalt himself and that no one who is poor and lowly should
despair. Liberty is one and the same for all members of the
Church; all men possess justice and favor in an impartial
manner.

For that reason the tower is placed in the middle, to serve

7 Luke 13.11.

8 Matt. 11.28.

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all around as an example of those countrymen and those
fishermen who deserved to hold fast the fort of virtue. By
their example our courage is aroused and is not permitted
to lie mean and despised on the ground. Rather, each and
every one of us has his mind raised aloft to higher things
so that he dares to say: ‘But our citizenship is in heaven.’51
Hence, to prevent it from being bent and battered by the
storms and tempests of the world, the vine holds in the em¬
brace of love, by means of those tendrils and bonds of which
we spoke, all that are near and finds rest in being joined
with them. That is love, therefore, which binds us with
things on high and plants us in heaven. Because ‘he who
abides in love, God abides in him.’ Hence the Lord also
says: ‘Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot
bear fruit of itself unless it remain on the vine, so neither
can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are
the branches.’10

(52) It seems clear, therefore, that the example of the
vine is designed, as this passage indicates, for the instruction
of our lives. It is observed to bud in the mild warmth of
early spring and next to produce fruit from the joints of the
shoots, from which a grape is formed. This gradually in¬
creases in size, but it still retains its bitter taste. When,
however, it is ripened and mellowed by the sun, it acquires
its sweetness. Meanwhile, the vine is decked in green leaves
by which it is protected in no slight manner from frosts and
other injuries and is defended from the sun’s heat. Is there
any spectacle which is more pleasing or any fruit that is
sweeter?11 What a joy to behold the rows of hanging grapes
like so many jewels of a beautiful countryside, to pluck those
grapes gleaming in colors of gold or purple !

9 Phil. 3.20.

10 John 4.16; 9.15.

11 Cf. Cicero, De senectute 15.53.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

107

You may notice that hyacinths and other gems are brilliant
in color, how indigo gleams and how beautifully the pearl
shines; still, you do not derive a warning from this, man,
that your last day on earth should not find your fruit un¬
ripened or that the completion of your time of life should
show but slight achievement. Unripened fruit is often bitter
in taste. It cannot be sweet until it has grown to perfect
maturity. A man perfect in this manner will not ordinarily
be harmed by the cold of dread death nor by the heat of the
sun of iniquity, because a spiritual grace overshadows him,
quelling the fires of cupidity for the things of this world and
defending him from the lusts and the burning desires of the
flesh.

Let them praise you who behold you and let them admire
the marshaled bands of the Church like the serried rows of
vine branches, let everyone among the faithful gaze upon
the gems of the soul, let them find delight in the maturity of
prudence, in the splendor of faith, in the charm of Christian
affirmation, in the beauty of justice, in the fecundity of pity,
so that it may be said of you : ‘Thy wife is a fruitful vine on
the sides of thy house,’12 for the reason that you imitate by
the exercise of your abundant and generous giving the
plenteous return of a fruit-bearing vine.

Chapter 13

(53) But why do I linger in describing just the vine, when
all species of trees have their utility? Some are created to
provide fruit; others are granted for our use. Those which
are not overproductive of fruit are nevertheless more valuable
for the uses they serve. The cedar is suitable for constructing
the roof of a house, because its material is of such a kind as

12 Ps. 127.3.

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to furnish both spacious length for the roof and a quality of
lightness for the walls. For the construction of rafters and the
adornment of the pediments the most adaptable wood is that
of the cypress. Hence, the Church, too, tells us in the Can¬
ticles: ‘The beams of our houses are of cedar, our rafters
of cypress trees.’1 These words point to the beautiful adorn¬
ments of its pedimental structure, which, as beams do, up¬
hold by their excellent qualities the superstructure of the
Church and give charm to its facade.

The laurel and the palm are emblems of victory. The
heads of victors are crowned with laurel; the palm adorns
the victor’s hand. Hence, the Church, too, says: ‘I said:
I will go up into the palm tree, I will take hold of the
heights thereof.’2 Seeing the sublimity of the Word and
hoping to be able to ascend to its height and to the summit
of knowledge, he says: ‘I will go up into the palm tree,’
that he may abandon all things that are low and strive after
things that are higher, to the prize of Christ, in order that
he may pluck its fruit and taste it, for sweet is the fruit of
virtue.

Again, what shall we say of the poplar, a tree that pro¬
vides shade for victorious crowns and for binding vines a
flexible shoot.3 What other mystical meaning has this, if not
to stand for the goodness of the bonds of Christ? These
bonds do not hurt — they are the bonds of grace and of
love, so that every person should glory in his bonds as Paul
gloried in them when he said: ‘Paul, a prisoner of Jesus
Christ.’4 When bound in these same bonds, those of self-
denial and of love, he said : ‘Who shall separate us from the
love of Jesus Christ?’5 When bound also by these same bonds,

1 Cant. 1.16.

2 Cant. 7.8.

3 Cf. Virgil, Eclogues 3.83.

4 Philem. 1.

5 Rom. 8.35.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

109

David has said: ‘On the willows in the midst thereof we
hung up our instruments.’6

The box-wood tree, because of its light material, trains
the child’s hand when it is used for forming the outlines
of the letters of the alphabet. Hence Scripture says: ‘Write
upon box,’7 in order that you may be admonished by the
wood itself (which is an evergreen and is never devoid of
foliage) never to be deprived of the support of your hope,
but rather that the hope of salvation may be generated by
faith.

(54) Why should I enumerate the great variety of trees,
their particular diversities and beauties? Why speak of the
wide-spreading beech tree, the slender fir, the leafy pine tree,
the shady evergreen oak, the two-colored poplar,8 the chestnut
that loves the groves and ever tends to sprout again as soon
as it is cut down? Why relate how in the trees themselves
one can determine whether the tree is old or young? In the
younger trees the branches are rather slender; in the older
they are strong and gnarled; in the former, the leaves are
smoother and are far apart; in the latter the leaves are
rougher and more shriveled. There are trees which, because
their roots are old and completely dead, are unable, if per¬
chance they are cut down, to reproduce themselves; others
show a vigorous youth and a more productive nature; a
thorough pruning is conducive to profit rather than to harm,
so much so that they shoot forth anew and renew themselves
in so many offshoots for generations.

(55) There is another occasion for us to marvel at the
fact that there is sex even in fruit and distinction of sex in
trees. You may notice how the palm tree which produces
dates often reaches towards and bends beneath that tree

6 Ps. 136.2.

7 Isa. 30.8.

8 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 8.276.

110

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which country children call the male palm, presenting in
this act a spectacle of one eager for an embrace. That palm
tree is female and betrays her sex by her appearance of sub¬
jection. Hence, cultivators of groves inject into its branches
the seed of dates or of male palm trees, by which is infused
into that tree what may be called a sense of its function and
sweetness of a desired marital embrace. After the perfor¬
mance of this rite it once more rises up and lifts its branches
and elevates its foliage into their former state and condition.

There is similar belief regarding the fig tree. For this
reason many are said to plant the wild fig tree beside the
cultivated and productive tree, because the fruit of the
prolific cultivated fig tree, due either to wind or to heat, is
said to fall to the ground. Hence, those acquainted with this
method remedy this weakness on the part of the productive
fig tree by binding it to the fruit of the wild fig, so that the
cultivated tree is able to retain its own fruit, which would
at any moment be likely to fall if this remedial procedure
were not followed.

From this mystery of nature we are admonished not to
shun those who have been separated from our faith and from
association with us. And so a Gentile who was converted
can be all the more a passionate defender of the faith as he
was formerly strong in upholding his error. And if one is a
convert from heresy, he can be a stout supporter of that new
faith to which he has turned after a change in his con¬
victions. Especially will this be true if he has been gifted by
nature to give vivid expression to his opinions and if he finds
support in his own moral tendencies toward temperance and
chastity. Be lavish, therefore, in your attentions to him, in
order that you may, like the productive fig tree, strengthen
your own virtue as a result of the presence and juxtaposition
of that other uncultivated tree. For in this way your moral

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

111

purpose may not be weakened and the fruit of your zeal and
grace will be preserved.

(56) How many examples there are of phenomena wherein
a natural hardness can be controlled by careful attention
to detail in the art of cultivation. Frequently, pomegranates
blossom quickly, but are unable to bear fruit without the
careful application of remedial methods in the hands of ex¬
perts, when, as often happens, the juice disappears within
the fruit, although it presents a healthy appearance ex¬
ternally. This phenomenon can not without reason be com¬
pared to the Church, to which it is applied in the words of
the Canticle: ‘Thy cheeks are as a piece of a pomegranate,’
and further on : ‘If the vineyard flourish, if the pomegranates
flourish.’9 For the Church presents to our eyes the brilliance
of faith and man’s adherence to it — the Church, enhanced
by the blood of so many martyrs and by what is more

valuable still, by the blood of Christ; at the same time, in

the possession of this pomegranate she preserves and in¬
cludes in one protecting shell plenteous fruit within, invol¬
ving manifold acts of virtue: the wise man conceals in his
heart the good work he performs.10

It is said also that fruit growers apply remedial methods
of this sort to the almond tree so as to render sweet the bitter¬
ness of its fruit. They bore a hole in the root of the tree and

insert in the middle of it a shoot of that tree which the

Greeks call TteuKq and which we call the pitch-pine. When
this is done, the bitter taste of its juice disappears.

Accordingly, if the qualities of plants are changed by the
process of agriculture, is it not possible to allay any sort of
infirmity of the passions by a striving after knowledge and
learning? Let no one, then, who is allured by youthful intem¬
perance despair of his conversion. Wood frequently is turned

9 Cant. 4.3; 7.12.

10 Cf. Prov. 11.13,

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to better uses; cannot the hearts of men be likewise changed?

(57) We have shown that there exist different species of
fruit among trees of diverse nature and likewise that the
same kind of tree often produces fruit of a dissimilar charac¬
ter. The male species produces one kind, while the female
furnishes us with another — facts which we have already
discussed in a preceding chapter in connection with dates.

Who can comprehend the variety, the appearance, and
the delightful qualities of fruits, the usefulness of each and
every product of the soil, and the peculiar sap which seems
appropriate to each one; furthermore, how fruits of a rather
bitter taste serve as medicine to heal our ailing stomachs
by allaying swelling and rawness within; again, how the
unhealthy humors of the body are modified by the sweet
quality inherent in fruits?

Hence, that art of medicine is older which can cure by
the use of herbs and juices. No condition of health is founded
on a firmer basis than that which is acquired by the aid of
health-giving nourishment. Wherefore, following the guid¬
ance of nature we are led to believe that food is our sole
medicine. It is certain that open sores are closed by the use
of herbs; our internal ills are cured by herbs. For this reason
physicians need to know the efficacy of herbs, for from this
source the practice of medicine took its rise.

Chapter 14

(58) But to return to a discussion of the ordinary fruit:
some there are which are ripened directly by the sun; others
reach maturity enclosed in a shell and hull. Apples, pears,
and the various species of grape are all exposed naked to the
sun. Walnuts and hazelnuts as well as the kernel of the pine-

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

113

nut, although covered with a shell and hull, are nourished
by the heat of the sun. However deeply the kernel of the
pine-nut lies buried, it still is nourished by the sun’s heat.

(59) Such, then, is the providence of the Lord that,
wherever the fruit is of a softer quality, there the thickness
of the leaf presents in defense of the fruit a stouter protective
covering, as we see, for example, in the fruit of the fig tree.
The more delicate fruits, therefore, need a stronger defense,
as the Lord Himself teaches us, speaking through the mouth
of Jeremias: ‘Like these good figs, so will I regard the cap¬
tives of Juda, whom I have sent forth out of this place into
the land of the Chaldeans for their good. And I will set my
eyes upon them for their good.’1 For He surrounded His
precious ones, as it were, with a stouter covering of His
mercy, lest the tender fruit should perish before its time.
And so, too, He says of them in a later passage : ‘My delicate
ones have walked rough ways.’ To these He speaks further
on : ‘Be constant, my children, and cry to the Lord.’2 Against
all storms and injuries this is the sole and inviolable protec¬
tion and impenetrable defense.

Where, therefore, there is tender fruit, there is found a
thicker covering and protection furnished by the leaves. On
the other hand, where the fruit is sturdier, there the leaves
are more delicate, as we see in the case of the apple tree.
In the case of the sturdier apple there is not much need for
protection to aid it, for the very thickness of the protective
shade would serve rather to bring injury to its fruit.

(60) Then, again, the beauty of nature and the profound
mysteries of divine wisdom are manifested to us by the leaf
of the vine. We note that it is so divided into parts as to
present the appearance of three leaves. The middle part is
so distinct that it seems to the onlooker to be a separate

1 Jer. 24.5,6.

2 Bar. 4.26.27.

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piece, were it not for the fact that it forms a juncture with
the lower parts. This seems to follow a natural principle in
that it both admits the sunlight more easily and furnishes
shade. Then, the middle part of the leaf extends itself and
becomes more narrow at the top as it grows, so that it offers
more natural beauty than protection. For this reason it seems
to present the form of the prize of a victor at the games,
indicating that the grape holds the first place among the
other species of hanging fruit. By the silent judgment of
nature and, furthermore, by its clear decision the grape
comes into being as the natural form and emblem of victory.
The vine leaf, therefore, carries its prize with it, inasmuch
as it furnishes defense for itself against the inclemencies of
the air and the violence of storms, while at the same time it
presents no obstacle to the reception of the sun’s heat from
which the grape receives warmth and coloring, growth, and
increase.

The fig leaf, too, not unlike the vine leaf, is divided into
four parts. This fact appears all the more clearly because of
its larger leaf, although its extremities have not the pointed
character of the vine leaf. Whereas the leaf of the fig is strong¬
er and thicker, that of the vine presents a more elegant form.
The thickness of the fig leaf serves to ward off injury due to
storms, while its cleft nature permits the fruit to profit from
warmth. Again, this species of fruit feels the force of hail
storms less, but reaches maturity quicker, because it seems
to hide away from injuries and at the same time to lie open
to fostering influences.

(61) Why should I describe the different kinds of leaves,
how some are round and others, longer; how some are
flexible and others, more rigid; how some leaves do not fall
readily, no matter how strong the wind, and how others are
shaken off even by a slight motion of the wind?

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

115

Chapter 15

(62) It would be an endless task to inquire into the
properties of each and every thing, either to distinguish diver¬
sities by presenting clear evidence for such or to reveal by
unfailing proof concealed and hidden causes. For example,
water is one and the same substance, yet it often changes into
various forms. Water assumes a yellow color in sand; it
becomes foamy amid rocks. It has a green aspect in the midst
of groves and presents various colors in a region of flowers,
becoming brighter among lilies and ruddier amid roses. Water
in a grassy region is clearer, but more turbid in marshy places.
At its source a stream is more limpid, while sea water is dark¬
er. We see, therefore, that water assumes the color of the
places through which it flows.

In like manner, too, water undergoes changes due to tem¬
perature: in heated places it becomes hot, in shady regions
it becomes cool; when exposed to the sun, water acquires
excess of heat; when snow falls, it assumes a white color in
the form of ice. And what a change takes place in its very
taste ; at one time it is somewhat sharp, at another somewhat
bitter; at times it is rather harsh, at times somewhat tart, and
then again rather sweet. These variations are due to the
qualities of the substance with which water has been mixed.
It becomes bitter because of the infusion of immature juices,
as when the shells of nuts are pounded and when leaves are
disintegrated. Water becomes bitter by the infusion of worm¬
wood, becomes stronger from an admixture of wine and more
tart when garlic is added; it becomes heavy or sweet as the
result of the addition of poison or honey. In fact, if the
mastick tree and the fruit of the turpentine tree or the kernel
of nuts are infused with water, the resulting mixture can
readily take on the filmy nature of oil.

While water supplies nourishment to all plants, it contrib-

116

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utes in diverse ways its useful quality to each. If it waters
the roots or rains on them from the clouds, it confers distinct
strength to all: the root grows in size, the trunk is enlarged,
the branches are extended, the leaves become green, the
seeds are nourished, and the fruit is likely to increase in
number. And so, although water is the nurse of all things,
the sap of some species of tree as a result its activity is made
somewhat bitter; another becomes sweeter; still others be¬
come either sluggish or quick in action. In their quality of
sweetness, too, plants manifest differences one with the other.
The vine has one type of sweetness, the olive, another; there
is a difference between the cherry and the fig; the apple has a
distinctive quality and the date is different from the rest.

(63) Even to the touch waters appear at one time smooth,
at another, rough. They often give the impression of having
oil on their surfaces. Water differs, too, in weight as frequent¬
ly as in appearance, for in many places it is considered some¬
what heavy; in other places, light. No wonder, therefore, if
water, while it presents differences in itself, varies also in
respect to the quality of the gum of the trees which is gener¬
ated by the intake of the same water.

The gum of the cherry tree differs in quality from that
which exudes from the mastick tree. Also, it is known that
the sweet-smelling woods of the Orient distil a drop of balsam
of unlike nature. The twigs of the fennel in Egypt and in
Libya exude also by some secret process of nature a distinct
kind of gum. Why should I relate to you, without burdening
you with my discourse, the fact that amber is something
which exudes from a shrub and that the gum hardens to
form a solid mass of such precious material? This account
is supported by evidence of no inconsiderable value, since
leaves or very small fragments of twigs or certain tiny species
of insects are often found in amber. The drop of amber while
still in a more fluid state seems to have laid hold of these

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

117

objects and to have retained them when the material had
solidified.1

(64) But why do I with my indifferent discourse vie with
the high and priceless principles of nature, since this discourse
springs from the human intellect, whereas divine Providence
has created the nature of all things? Hence, the reins of my
diffuse discourse should, as it were, be checked,2 lest I may
seem to usurp the wisdom divinely conferred on Solomon
in the Scriptures in expounding the ‘diversities of plants and
the virtues of roots and all such things as are hid and not
foreseen.’3 Yet, these things were not revealed by him in a
clear light. In my opinion he would very likely have been
able to discourse on the various species of plants,4 yet he
would not have been able to expound fully the nature of
all created things.

Chapter 16

(65) But if the harvests are often more joyous as a result
of a plentiful supply of water,1 if the leguminous plants
become green and the manifold beauty of gardens is roused
and revivified; if the banks of overflowing rivers become
resplendent with their verdant cushions,2 how much more
effective is the Word of God than any water course in
causing every plant suddenly to burst into flower! Then the
plains hastened to bring forth fruit not entrusted to them,
gardens were supplied with all manner of vegetables hitherto
unknown, and flowers began to germinate in a marvelous

1 Cf. Pliny, Historia naturalis 27.43,46.

2 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 2.541,542.

3 Wisd. 7.20,21.

4 Cf. 3 Kings 4.33.

1 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 1.1.

2 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 6.674.

118

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manner. The banks of streams began to vest themselves
in myrtle. The trees made haste to rise; quickly they clothed
themselves in flower,3 furnishing sustenance for men and
food for animals. Fruit became the common property of all;
its enjoyment is offered to all. A twofold gift is presented
by trees: at one and the same time we are granted nourish¬
ment for our bodies and a means of warding off the sun’s
rays in the cool of their shade; the fruit provides food and
the leaves give us occasion for enjoyable living.

However, because the providence of the Creator foresaw
that man in his greed would claim the fruit especially for
himself, He took care that the rest of living creatures would
be given their special nourishment. And so food of no in¬
considerable amount was provided for them from the leaves
and bark of forest trees. What would avail for medical pur¬
poses was provided for both equally: that is, the sap, gum,
and young shoots of plants. Hence, the Creator has com¬
manded from the beginning to come forth from the bowels
of the earth by the might of His providence those plants
which we have later by experiment, use, and example found
to be useful, for God destined them for the purpose for
which they were adapted.

(66) And the Lord commanded: ‘Let the earth bring
forth the green herb and the fruit tree yielding fruit after
its kind, whose seed is in it,’4 lest someone may say that
neither fruit nor seed appears in many trees and lest a per¬
son may think that the divine command is faulty in some
respect, by which, in fact, truth may be called into question.
Let such a person take note that it can never happen that
all things that grow should not eventually spring up out
of seeds or possess some qualities which seem to be in keeping
with the vital power of seeds. If we pay particular attention

3 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 1.187.

4 Gen. 1.1.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

119

to this matter, our understanding of the facts will be aided
by the clarity of the evidence. For example, willow trees do
not seem to have seeds, but they have in their leaves a kind
of kernel which has the efficasy of a seed. When this is com¬
mitted to the earth, there arises a tree as if it came from a
planted sucker. It comes to life as if from a seed. From that
kernel a root is truly formed. From the root not only is the
willow developed, but there grows a forest of other trees of
like kind. The root, too, has the generative quality of a seed;
hence, many have propagated their groves by such a process
as this.

(67) The power of God is great in everything. Let no
one wonder if I have stated that the power of God is great
in plants, since He has said that His power was great in the
locusts and in the bruchus,5 for the reason that by the afflic¬
tion of sterility and famine they punished the offenses to His
divine majesty. For great is the power of His patience; great,
too, of His providence. Unworthy were they who had injured
the Creator of the earth to enjoy earth’s fruitfulness! And
He is truly great in avenging such great impiety with misery
and famine. Hence, if the earth brought forth the sterile
bruchus by the mighty power of God, how much greater is
the power which brings into being that which is fertile!

(68) Who on seeing a pine cone would not marvel at
the art that is indelibly impressed on nature by the com¬
mand of God and at the fact that, although extended at un¬
equal lengths, the sheath arises from the center core in
homogeneous fashion, whereby it protects its own fruit. Hence
it preserves the same appearance and arrangement all around.
And in every place there is a surplus of kernels and in the
circle of the year there comes the blessing of the fruit. There¬
fore, in this pine cone nature seems to express an image of
itself; it preserves its peculiar properties which it received

5 A kind of locust without wings.

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from that divine and celestial command and it repeats in the
succession and order of the years its generation until the end
of time is fulfilled.

(69) But as in this fruit nature imprints a pleasing repre¬
sentation of itself, so, too, in the tamarisk, that is, in the
humble plants,0 nature has impressed an image of its un¬
relenting artfulness. For, just as there are men everywhere
who are double-dealers at heart, who, while they show
themselves to be gracious and unaffected in the presence of
good men, cleave to those who are most vicious — so in a
similar way these plants have a contrary tendency to spring
up in both well-watered regions and in desert lands. That is
why Jeremias compared dubious and insincere characters
to tamarisks.7

Chapter 17

(70) ‘Let the earth bring forth,’ God said, and immedi¬
ately the whole earth was filled with growing vegetation.
And to man it was said: ‘Love the Lord thy God,’1 yet the
love of God is not instilled in the hearts of all. Deafer are
the hearts of men than the hardest rock. The earth, in com¬
pliance with its Author, furnishes us with fruit which is not
owed to us; we deny the debt when we do not give homage
to the Author.

(71) Behold the providence of God in little things and,
because you are unable to comprehend it, marvel at the
fact that He has kept some plants always in foliage while
He desired that others undergo changes by being deprived
of their vesture. The earth preserves its verdure amid the

6 Cf. Virgil, Eclogues 4.2.

7 Jer. 17.6.

1 Deut. 6.5; Matt. 22.37.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

121

white snow and the cold hoar frost,2 and, although hidden
in ice, its offspring still preserve no slight trace of their
viridity.

Those species of trees, also, which are clothed in evergreen
foliage have not inconsiderable differences. The olive and
the pine always preserve their vesture. Nevertheless, they
change their leaves frequently, displaying them, not as some¬
thing permanent, but as successive adornments of their tree.
The apparentely unbroken nature of their garb they thus
dissimulate by such an interchange. Again, the palm remains
always green by reason of the retentive and enduring qual¬
ities of its foliage, not because of any change. For the leaves
which it first produced continue to perpetuate themselves
without recourse to substitution.

Imitate the palm, man, so that it may be said also to you :
‘Thy stature is like a palm tree.’3 Preserve the verdure of
your childhood and of that natural innocence of youth
which you have received from the beginning, and may you
possess the fruits, prepared in due time, of what was planted
along the course of the waters — and may there be no fall
to your leaf!

To this verdure of grace everflourishing in Christ the
Church refers in saying: ‘I sat down under his shadow
whom I desired.’4 The Apostles received this privileged gift
of verdure, whose leaves could never fall, so as to provide
shade for the healing of the sick.5 Their fidelity of heart and
the superabundance of their merits provided shade for bodily
infirmities. Remain, therefore, planted in the house of the
Lord so as to flourish like a palm in His halls, whence the
grace of the Church may ascend for you and ‘the odor of

2 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 2.376.

3 Cant 7.7.

4 Cant. 2.3.

5 Cf. Acts 5.15.

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thy mouth may be like apples and thy throat like the best
wine,’ so that you may be inebriated in Christ.6

(72) This verse serves to remind us that we should take
up once more our subject wherein it was stated that the
vine, too, blossomed forth by the command of God. This vine,
we know, was planted by Noe after the flood. We read, in
fact, that ‘Noe, a husbandman, began to till the ground and
planted a vineyard and drank of his wine and slept.’7 Noe,
therefore, was not the author of the vine, but of its planting,
for he could not have planted it unless he had already found
it fully grown. He is just the cultivator, therefore, of the
vine. Its Author, God, who knew that wine fostered health
and sharpened wits when taken sparingly, but led to vice if
used immoderately, has given us this plant in the act of
creation. Excess of wine He set aside as an exercise for
man’s will to the extent that nature’s parsimony might in¬
culcate in him the lesson of sobriety and that man might
ascribe to himself the harm due to excess and the sin of in¬
toxication. In fact, Noe himself was intoxicated and slept
under the influence of wine,8 so we see that he who attained
to such glory through the flood exposed himself to unsight¬
liness because of his misuse of wine. But the Lord has re¬
tained in the vine the privileges due to His creation, so that
He converted its fruit for our salvation and made it possible
that remission of our sins should emerge from this plant.9

Hence, Isaac spoke reverently when he said: ‘The smell
of Jacob is the smell of a plentiful field,’10 that is, a natural
odor. For what is sweeter than a plentiful field, what is more
delightful than the perfume of the vine, what is more pleasing

6 Cant. 7.8.9; 5.1.

7 Gen. 9.20,21.

8 Ibid.

9 Matt. 26.28.

10 Gen. 27.27.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : THREE

123

than the blossom of the bean? Hence, before us a certain
writer11 has ingeniously said: ‘The patriarch did not per¬
ceive the odor of vine or fig or fruit, but he breathed the
perfume of virtue.’ I for my part hold to the following
interpretation: the odor of the land, unmixed and pure,
infused not with guile, but with the truth of celestial in¬
dulgence, stands for the beauty of a prayer which blesses.
Hence, what the Lord confers on us from the dew of heaven
so as to give strength to the vine, to the olive and to the
grain may be reckoned among our most precious benedictions.

To Him be honor, praise, and glory everlasting, from the
beginning of time, now, always, and for ever. Amen.

11 Perhaps Hippolytus or Origen; cf. Philo, Quaestiones in Gen. 4.214.

BOOK IV: THE FOURTH DAY

THE SIXTH HOMILY

Chapter 1

j o prevent deterioration of wine it is customary for
those who gather in the vintage to first clean the
vessels before the wine is poured in. For of what
avail is it ‘to plant the vine in rows,’1 to loosen the earth
each year or to make furrows with a plough, to prune or to
tie back the shoots and join them in marriage, as it were, to
the elms,2 if after such toil the wine stored away in the
vessels becomes sour? In like manner, if a person desires to
behold the sun rising in the morning, he proceeds to cleanse
his eyes, lest there be within any speck of dust or dirt which
would dull the observer’s eyesight or prevent any misty
darkness from obscuring the vision of the spectator.

In our reading of the Scripture passage, the sun, which
before this did not exist, has now to arise. We have now
passed the first day without a sun, and the second and the

1 Virgil. Eclogues 1.74.

2 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 1.2.

125

126

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third days we have completed still without a sun. On the
fourth day God bade the luminaries of the heavens to be
created: the sun, the moon and stars. The sun begins to
arise. Cleanse, now, the eyes of your mind and the inward
gaze of your soul, lest any mote of sin dull the keenness of
your mind and disturb the aspect of your pure heart. Cleanse
your ear, in order that you may receive the clear flow of
holy Scripture in a clean receptacle, so that no impurity
may enter therein. With its great splendor the sun precedes
the day, filling the world with its great light, encompassing
it with warm exhalations.

Be on your guard against stressing merely the magnitude
of the sun. Its excessive brilliance may blind the eyes of your
mind, as happens in the case of one who directs his sight
directly at its beams. Because of the deflection of light, such
a person is suddenly bereft of his sight and, if he does not
turn his face and eyes in another direction, he is led to
believe that nothing is visible and that he is deprived of his
powers of vision. However, if he turns his eyes aside, their
functional operation remains unimpaired.

See, therefore that the rays of the rising sun do not trouble
your sight. For that reason, look first upon the firmament of
heaven which was made before the sun; look first upon the
earth which began to be visible and was already formed
before the sun put in its appearance; look at the plants of the
earth which preceded in time the light of the sun. The
bramble preceded the sun; the blade of grass is older than
the moon. Therefore, do not believe that object to be a god
to which the gifts of God are seen to be preferred. Three days
have passed. No one, meanwhile, has looked for the sun,
yet the brilliance of light has been in evidence everywhere.
For the day, too, has its light which is itself the precursor of
the sun.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

127

(2) Do not, therefore, without due consideration put your
trust in the sun. It is true that it is the eye of the world,3 the
joy of the day, the beauty of the heavens, the charm of
nature and the most conspicuous abject in creation.4 When
you behold it, reflect on its Author. When you admire it,
give praise to its Creator.

If the sun as consort of and participant in nature is so
pleasing, how much goodness is there to be found in that
‘Sun of Justice’?5 If the sun is so swift that in its rapid course
by day and night it is able to traverse all things, how great
is He who is always and everywhere and fills all things with
His majesty !6 If that which is bidden to come forth is deemed
worthy of our admiration, how much more does He surpass
our admiration of whom we read: ‘Who commandeth the
sun and it riseth not’ !7 If the sun which the succession of the
seasons advances or recedes8 is mighty, how mighty must He
be, also, who, ‘when he emptied himself’9 that we might be
able to see Him who ‘was the true light that enlightens every
man who comes into this world’ !10 If the sun which from the
interposition of the earth often undergoes eclipses is an
extraordinary object, how surpassing is the majesty of Him
who says: ‘Yet one little while and I will move the heaven
and the earth’ I11 The former is hidden by the earth, which
in its turn cannot sustain the influence of the Lord except
when it is supported by the reality of His will. If the blind
suffer loss by being deprived of beholding the beauty of the
sun, how great is the loss of the sinner who, despoiled of the

3 Cf. Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.197,228.

4 Cf. Mullach, Frag. phil. eraec. I 518 vs. 25 and 513 vs. 12 (secundus) .

5 Mai. 3.4.

6 Ps. 71.19.

7 Job 9.7.

8 See Dante, Paradiso 10.28-30.

9 Phil. 2.7.

10 John 1.9.

11 Agg. 2.7.

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gift of the true light, is subject to the darkness of night
eternal !

(3) When, therefore, you see the sun, take note, too, of
the green earth which was formed before it; take note of
the green herb which holds priority in rank; take note of the
woods which nod their approval, because they came into
being before the light of heaven. Do you think for a moment
that the herb is greater than the sun or that the woods hold
a position of preference? Far be it from us to prefer things
that have no feeling to Him who is the provider of such a
spectacle! What else, therefore, does ‘the depth of the wis¬
dom and the knowledge of God’12 have in view when the
woods came into being before these two luminaries of the
world13 (those eyes, as it were, of the celestial firmament),
unless it is that all might recognize by the testimony of holy
Scripture that without the aid of the sun the earth can be
productive? The earth which could cause the first seeds of
things to germinate without the aid of the sun can surely
nourish the seeds provided for it and can, without the heat
of the sun, bring forth offspring by its own fostering care.

(4) With the voice, so to speak, of her gifts does Nature
cry out: Good, indeed, is the sun, but good only in respect
of service, not of command; good, too, as one who assists
at my fecundity, not as one who creates; good, also, as the
nourisher of my fruits, not as one who is the author of them.
At times the sun burns up my produce and often is the
cause of injury to me, leaving me in many places with¬
out provision. I am not ungrateful to my fellow servant, one
who is granted to me for my use, subject like me to toil, to
vanity, and to the service of corruption ! With me he groans,
with me he is in travail, in order that there may come the
adoption of sons and the redemption of the human race by

12 Rom. 11.33.

13 See Virgil, Georgies 1.5,6.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

129

which we, too, may be freed from servitude.14 By my side
he praises the Author; along with me he sings a hymn to the
Lord God. Where his beauty is most pronounced, there I
have common cause with him. Where the sun blesses, there
the earth blesses, also;15 with me share their blessings the
fruit-bearing trees, the flocks and birds. At sea the sailor
reproaches the sun and longs for me. In the hills the shep¬
herd shuns him and hastens to my foliage, to my trees,
under whose shadow he may find comfort in the heat, and
hastens to my springs when he is thirsty and fatigued.

Chapter 2

(5) But in case the evidence presented to your eyes may
appear to be scanty, cleanse your ear and apply it to the
heavenly oracles: ‘On the word of two or three witnesses
every word is confirmed.’1 Hear God speaking: ‘Let there
be lights made in the firmament of heaven to give light upon
the earth.’2

Who says this? God says it. And to whom is He speaking,
if not to His Son? Therefore, God the Father says: ‘Let the
Sun be made,’ and the Son made the sun, for it was fitting
that the ‘Sun of Justice’ should make the sun of the world.3
He, therefore, brought it to light. He illuminated it and
granted it the power of light. Therefore the sun was made;
for this reason it is also a subject, since it has been said:
‘Thou hast foundeth the earth and it continueth. By thy
ordinance the day goeth on: for all things serve thee.’4

H Cf. Rom. 8.21,22.

15 Cf. Ps. 148.3; Dan. 3.62.

1 Matt, 18.16.

2 Gen. 1.14.

3 Cf. Mai. 4.2.

4 Ps. 118.90,91.

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In truth, since day serves, wherefore does not the sun which
was made in the presence of the day also serve? Wherefore
do not they serve, too, the moon and the stars which were
made in the power of the night?5 Surely the greater the
beauty which the Creator has granted to them — as, for
instance, an unusual brightness is bestowed on the air by the
brilliance of the sun, the day has a serener light, and the
darkness of night is illuminated by the flashing rays of the
sun and stars, the sky twinkles with its ignited lamps as if
crowned with flowers, reminding one of a paradise in bloom,
resplendent with living garlands of sweet-smelling roses —
the greater the beauty, then, which seems to have been
granted to these, the greater is the debt they owe : ‘To whom
much is given, much is required.’6 And so the sun has been
well called by many the adornment of the sky, the precious
jewels of which are the stars.

(6) Furthermore, that we may know that the fertility
of the earth is not to be ascribed to the heat of the sun, but
should be assigned to the goodness of God, the Prophet
says: ‘They all look to you to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it; when you open
your hand, they are filled with good things.’ And further on :
‘When you send forth your spirit, they are created and you
renew the face of the earth.’7 And in the Gospels: ‘Look at
the birds of the sky: they do not sow or reap; yet your
heavenly Father feeds them.’8 The sun and moon are not,
therefore, authors of fecundity, but God the Father through
the Lord Jesus bestows on all things the gift of freedom of
fertility.

(7) The Prophet has beautifully expounded the meaning
of those words of his: ‘God made the sun to rule the day

5 Cf. Ps. 135.8,9.

6 Luke 12.48.

7 Ps. 103.27,28.

8 Matt. 6.26.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

131

and the moon to rule the night.’9 For in the same Psalm 103
mentioned above he wrote: ‘You made the moon to mark
the season; the sun knows the hour of its setting.’10 When the
day begins to complete its hours, the sun recognizes that
its setting is due. The sun is, therefore, in the power of the
day and the moon is in the power of the night, which must
accommodate itself to the changes of time ; now it is filled with
light, and again is devoid of it.

Most authors seem, indeed, to interpret this passage
mystically of Christ and the Church, maintaining that Christ
had knowledge of His passion in the body when He said:
‘Father, the hour has come! Glorify thy Son,’11 so that by
this His setting He might grant eternal life to all men who
were threatened with eternal death, and that the Church
may have her seasons, namely, of persecution and of peace.
The Church, like the moon, seems to lose light, but she does
not. She can be cast in shadow, but she cannot lose her light.
For example, the Church is weakened by the desertion of some
in time of persecution, but is replenished by the witness of her
martyrs. Wherefore, glorified by the victories of blood shed
for Christ, she may pour forth all the more abundantly over
the entire world the light of her devotedness and her faith.

In fact, the moon undergoes a diminution of its light, not,
however, of its mass, at the time when it seems to give up its
light in the course of the month, so that it may borrow from
the sun. This phenomenon can be easily observed when the
atmosphere is pure and transparent and no cloud passes before
the moon, rendering it obscure. The orb of the moon remains
intact, although the whole of it does not shine as does a part
of it. Its size is the same as it usually appears when it is filled
with light. A certain shadow makes it appear that the moon

9 Ps. 135.8.

10 Ps. 103.19.

11 John 17.1.

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is bereft of light. Hence, it Is only the horns that shine. The
moon’s form is circular : this fact reveals itself, even if its light
is partly diminished.

Chapter 3

(8) This statement can give us occasion for thought: ‘Let
there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate
day from night,’1 because it had already been said, when
God created the light, that ‘God separated the light from
the darkness and there was evening and morning, the first
day.’2

But let us reflect on the fact that the light of day is one
thing and the light of the sun and moon and stars another,
for the reason that the sun itself with its rays appears to
add to its brilliance to the light of day. This can be seen
at the dawn of day or at its setting. There is daylight, in
fact, before the rising of the sun, but it is far from being
brilliant. The light gleams forth more resplendently, of
course, when the sun is at noon. This is pointed out by the
Prophet when he says: ‘And he will bring forth thy justice
as the light and thy judgment as the noonday.’3 He compares
the justice of the saint not merely to light: he means the
light of midday.

(9) Therefore, God ordained that there should not be
just one indication by which to distinguish day from night.
He established two signs by which light should be divided:
one at the rising of the sun and another at its setting. Like¬
wise, the rising of the stars would mark the division between
the setting of the sun and the beginning of night. When the

1 Gen. 1.14,15.

2 Gen. 1.4,5.

3 Ps. 36.6.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

133

sun has set, there still remains some remnant of daylight until
darkness covers the earth. Then the moon rises and the
stars. It is very evident that the extent of the night is meas¬
ured by the illumination of the moon and stars, since the
sun on its rising causes the glitter of the moon and of all the
stars to be invisible by day. As to the day, even the burning
rays of the sun can inform us that daylight and sunlight
differ both in their nature and in their aspect. The aspect
of daylight is uncompounded: it merely furnishes light. The
sun, on the other hand, not merely has the power of illum¬
inating; it has also the power of heating. The sun is fiery,
and fire both illuminates and burns.

Hence, when God wished to show to Moses His marvelous
power for the purpose of stirring him to greater zeal in His
service and of inflaming his heart to belief, He appeared
to Moses in a flaming bush.4 But the bush was not afire;
it appeared merely to shine with the appearance of fire.
One function of fire, therefore, was void, the other was in
operation. The power of kindling was lacking, though the
power of illumination was functioning. And so Moses mar¬
veled that fire, contrary to its nature, did not burn the
bush, since this was an element which usually consumes
materials of a more solid nature. The fire of the Lord illum¬
inates, not consumes.

(10) Still, you perhaps may say, wherefore is it written:
‘I am a consuming fire’?5 Your suggestion is a good one. God
usually consumes only the sinful. Even in the retributions
dispensed to men in accordance with their merits we perceive
the nature of divine fire. It illuminates some and consumes
others. It illuminates the just and consumes the wicked. It
does not illuminate the same people which it consumes.

4 Cf. Exod. 3.2.

5 Deut. 4.24.

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Rather, its illumination is inextinguishable in the direction
of its performance toward the good, whereas its power of
consumption is mighty to punish the sinner.

(11) But let us return to the division between day and
night. At the coming of daylight, night is put to flight. At the
departure of daylight, night appears everywhere. There is no
association between light and darkness, since the Lord set
this down as a principle at the beginning of His work. When
He made the light, He made a distinction between light
and darkness. Accordingly, in clear daylight, when the sun
has sprinkled its rays upon the earth,6 we see how the shadow
of an object, man, or plant is separated from the light. We
note how in the morning this shadow falls toward the west,
while in the evening it turns toward the east and in midday
toward the north. Nevertheless, the shadow is a thing apart
and has nothing in common with the light. In a similar way,
night seems to yield to daylight and to verge away from its
light. In fact, as has been pointed out by more expert authors
who have precedence over us whether in time or in ability,
night is a shadow of the earth.

The shadow adheres and stays close to the body in accord¬
ance with nature, so much so that artists strive to depict the
shadows of objects in their paintings. They maintain that it
is the province of art not to ignore a quality inherent in
nature. An artist whose painting does not represent the
requisite shadows may be likened to one who contravenes
the natural law. When, then, an object in daylight happens
to face the sun, there arises a shadow of that part from which
the sunlight is deflected. In the same way, at sunset, when
the earth stands in the way of the light of day or of the sun¬
light, there is an effect of shadow. Hence it is clear that
night is caused by the shadow of the earth.

6 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 9.461.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

135

Chapter 4

(12) God made the sun, moon, and stars, and allotted
to them the measurement of time, the sun for the daytime
and the moon and stars for night. The former augments the
beauty of the day; the latter illumine the shadow and the
darkness: ‘Let them serve as signs and for the fixing of
seasons, days and years.’1 The sun, moon, and stars divide
time in diverse fashion, but in an equal manner in respect
to changes based on months, and ‘they serve as signs’ for
them, also. We cannot deny that some signs are formed from
the sun and moon together. The Lord said: ‘And there will
be signs in the sun, moon and stars.’2 And when the Apostles
asked for a sign of His coming, He replied : ‘The sun will be
darkened and the moon will not give her light and the stars
will fall from heaven.’3 These, He said, were to be the signs
of a fulfillment in the future, but for us in our anxiety these
should serve as an appropriate measure of time.

(13) In fact, some men have attempted to set down the
characteristics of birth days and the future state of each new¬
born child. Yet a prognostication of this sort is both vain
and useless to those who seek it and is an impossibility for
those who promise it. What is so inane as to suppose that
everyone should be convinced that he is what his birth has
made him? No one, then, ought to change his condition of
life and his habits or strive to become better, but, rather,
remain in that conviction. In which case you cannot com¬
mend the good nor condemn the wicked, since each seems
to comply with the destiny of his birth. And wherefore has
the Lord laid down rewards for the good or punishment for
the wicked if their habits are prescribed by fate and their

1 Gen. 1.14.

2 Luke 21.25.

3 Matt. 24.29.

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social behavior depends on the course of the stars? And
what else does this lead to other than to deprive man of
his humanity,4 if no room is left for character, no outlet for
education or for freedom of action?

How many do we see snatched from amid their vices and
sins to be converted to a better life? It was certainly not the
circumstances of their birth which freed and called the
Apostles from the company of sinners. Rather, the coming
of Christ sanctified them and the hour of His Passion
redeemed them from death. The condemned thief who was
crucified with our Lord passed over into everlasting paradise,
not because of a favorable nativity, but because of his con¬
fession of faith.5 It was not the influence of his natal star,
but the offense of having neglected the divine prophecy
which cast Jonas into the sea. A whale which received him
and after three days vomited him forth,6 as a symbol of
future mystery, and preserved him for the service of pro¬
phecy. Peter was rescued from impending death in prison by
the angel of Christ,7 not by the disposition of the stars.
Blindness converted Paul to grace when he was struck by a
viper.8 When he was a victim of shipwreck he was saved,
not by his natal star, but by the merits of his piety.9

What shall we say of those who by the prayers of the
Apostles arose from the dead?10 Was it their natal star or
the grace of the Apostles that restored them? What need
was there for them to restort to fasting and expose them¬
selves to danger, if they could obtain what they desired
simply by virtue of their natal star? If they had put their
trust in that, they would never, while awaiting the destinies

4 Cf. Cicero, De finibus 5.35.

5 Cf. Luke 23.42.

6 Jonas 1.2-15; 2.11.

7 Cf. Acts 12.7.

8 Cf. Acts 9.8,18.

9 Cf. Acts 28.3.

10 Cf. Acts 9.40.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION I FOUR

137

meted out to them by fate, have reached such perfection of
grace.

(14) What about the impossibility of all this? In fact, if
we allow some force to their arguments for the sake of re¬
futing them and not for the sake of proof, they say that the
time of our birth is of great importance. This time should
be determined strictly within the limits of moments of the
smallest extent, because, if no heed is paid to exactness, the
greatest differences do ensue. Only the tiniest moment
separates the nativity of the helpless from that of the power¬
ful, of the needy from the rich, of the innocent from the
guilty. It often happens that at the same hour is born one
who is destined to a long life and one who will die in early
childhood, if other circumstances turn out to be dissimilar
and if there is just one single point of difference.

Let them reconstruct the following if they would. Suppose
a woman is giving birth to a child. As a matter of course the
midwife first observes the child. She looks for his cry as
giving evidence of life and notes whether the child is a male
or a female. How many moments will you allow for all
these acts? Suppose that there is an astrologer near at hand.
Can a man be present at a childbirth? While the midwife
is giving information and while the Chaldean is listening
and setting up the horoscope, the fates of the new-born
child have already entered the space of the lot belonging to
another person. It follows that while an investigation is being
made regarding the fate of one person, the nativity of an¬
other is in the process of being established.

Even suppose that what they maintain concerning fate
and nativity is true, their conclusions connot, however, be
true. A moment passes away: ‘Time is flying beyond recall.’11
There is no doubt that time is made up of moments and of
‘a twinkling of an eye.’ I am led to believe that assumption

11 Virgil, Georgies 3.284.

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since we shall all arise, as the Apostle testifies, in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye: ‘Behold I tell you a mystery:
we shall all indeed rise, but we shall not all be changed — in
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet and
the dead shall rise incorruptible and we shall be changed.’12
Between the time when the child was born, taken up, and
laid down again; between the time of his cry and the report
of it, how many moments do you think have elapsed !

So far I have only touched the surface of this question.
The upholders of this system divide that well-known circle
of twelve signs, which has such vital importance for them,
into twelve parts. Furthermore, as the sun travels over the
twelfth part of that indescribable sphere — it completes its
course in this way in the period of a year — they divide each
one of these twelve parts into thirty smaller divisions which
the Greeks call poTpai, and each of these smaller divisions
they separate in turn into sixty other individual parts. How
incomprehensible all this is! To think that the moment of a
nativity is made up of a sixtieth of a sixtieth part and that
such is exactly the motion and the aspect of each sign
occurring at the actual moment of a nativity! Wherefore,
since it is impossible to take such tenuous moments of time
into account and since the slightest variation introduces an
enormous error, the whole affair is based on mere phantasy.
Its advocates are ignorant of their own destiny. How, then,
can they know that of other men? They do not know what
is in store for themselves. Can they announce the future of
others? It is ridiculous to believe this, because if they were
able to do so, they would inevitably foresee what the future
held for themselves.

(15) Now how stupid it is to think that if a person were
to say that he was born under the sign of Aries and should
suppose that, just because such an animal is pre-eminent in

12 1 Cor. 15.51.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

139

his own herd, he himself would turn out to be conspicuous
for his wisdom ! Or that he would become quite rich for the
reason that the Ram possesses by nature a raiment and
every year puts on a new and costly garment. Wherefore
this man would appear to be one who is destined to be no
stranger to profit and gain. In a similar way they form their
conclusions regarding the signs of the Bull and the Fishes.
From the nature of ordinary animals they consider that the
significance of the movements of the heavens and of the signs
can be interpreted. And so our food and our sustenance have
established for us the destines of our lives, that is to say, the
Ram, the Bull, and the Fish imprint on us the norms of our
character! Wherefore, then, do they summon from heaven
the causes for material things and the basis for this life of
ours, when at the same time they share the causes of their
own motion with the celestial signs, arguing from the very
qualities of ordinary human food? They maintain that a
person born under the Ram is generous because the ram
yields its wool without resistance. They prefer to ascribe
that kind of virtue to the nature of an ordinary animal
than to heaven, from which comes to us the gleam of sun¬
shine, and often, too, a downfall of rain. They assert that
those who at their birth fall under the aspect of the Bull will
be subject to toil and will endure servitude,13 because that
laborious animal willingly submits his neck to the yoke.
They say, too, that those whom at their birth the Scorpion
has encircled will turn out to be assassins14 and that they will
spit out the venom of wickedness — a venom which is in
essence poisonous.

Why, therefore, do you pretend on the basis of the signi¬
ficance of celestial signs to give an authoritative standard for
living? Why do you present certain nonsensical facts as proof

13 Cf. Manilius, Astronomica 4.143.

14 Cf. Petronius, Cena Trim. 39.

140

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of your assertion? If the movements of the heavens take their
character from the moral qualities typical of such animals,
then heaven itself seems to be subject to the influences of
bestial natures, since from these natures it supposedly has
received a substantial and vital force which it would com¬
municate to men. But if this is a far cry from what is the
truth, so much the more ridiculous is it to think that these
men, deprived as they are of any solid basis of fact, should
have recourse to this assumption in order to give credence to
their arguments.

(16) Next let us consider the fact that they give the name
of ‘planet’ to those signs which by their movements deter¬
mine the destinies of our lives. Either, as the name indicates,
the planets wander for all time, or, if we follow their own
statements, they move along in rapid motion. We are told
that the planets in innumerable circular movements change
their positions ten thousand times, or, if this seems incredible,
show manifold aspects each day. Whatever may be the case,
it cannot be accepted that such a wandering course and such
a swift motion can be the means of establishing a fixed and
immovable lot as a basis for our lives. Again, they maintain
that the movements of the planets are not all equal. Some
move around with more speed, others are slower in motion,
so that they often at the same time gaze upon and hide from
each other in the course of their transits.

(17) They say that it makes considerable difference
whether favorable or unfavorable and harmful signs look at
the inception of a birth and the difference in birth lies in the
fact that the aspect of a favorable sign confers very great
benefits, while that of an unfavorable sign brings with it
considerable harm. Such are the terms which they use of
these very signs that they hold in veneration. I feel it neces¬
sary to make use of the vocabulary of those whose assertions
I discuss, lest they proceed to remind me that their argu-

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

141

ments have been ignored rather than utterly refuted. For
example, that wandering and swift movement to which I
have made reference escapes their comprehension in their
attempt to establish to a nicety as an aspect of a favorable
sign a point or moment of incomprehensible time. It fre¬
quently happens, in fact, that the threat of an unfavorable
sign enters as a disturbing factor in the midst of their cal¬
culations.

What wonder, then, if men are deceived when favorable
signs are defamed? If the very nature of these signs is be¬
lieved to be unfavorable, then God, who is supreme, is ac¬
cused of being the creator of evil and responsible for wicked¬
ness. If, in fact, the signs are considered to have taken on
by their own volition the power of harming the innocent and
injuring those who are conscious of not having up to that
time done any vile deed for which a punishment is assigned
even before the fault is committed, what, I repeat, is so
irrational, exceeding in that respect even the irrationality of
of beasts, as to attribute the practice of deceit or of good
will, not to the merits of men, but to the movements of the
signs? He was in no way guilty, it is said, but an unfavorable
sign looked upon him ! He came in contact with the star of
Saturn. On the other hand, by a very slight deviation,
according to their calculations, bad omens are shunned and
wrong-doing avoided.

(18) This wisdom of theirs is similar to that encountered
in a spider’s web from which a gnat or fly cannot extricate
itself once it has become entangled therein.15 However, if an
animal more robust by nature is seen to enter the web, right
away it passes through, breaks the feeble strands, and des¬
troys the useless snares. Such are the nets of the Chaldeans.
In these nets the weak are trapped, but those of a more
robust nature find no obstacle there. You who have more

15 See A. J. Festugitre. TAPA 85 (1954) 67.

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strength of character say to the astrologers when you see
them: You weave spider’s webs which cannot have any use
or binding force when a person strikes against them, not in
a moment of weakness like a gnat or a fly, but like a sparrow
or a dove, rending their meshes in the swiftness of their
winged flight.

In fact, what sensible man would believe that signs, which
frequently change from day to day and so many times return
on themselves, can by their movements denote what are the
indications of future power? If such were the case, what
combinations indicating royal birth would be announced day
after day ! As a consequence, kings would be born every day.
Succession to the throne would not be transmitted to sons.
Rather, at all time men of diverse social conditions would
arise who would lay claim to the rights of imperial power.
What king, therefore, would care to think under these cir¬
cumstances of the birth of a son to succeed him, if the royal
power is destined for someone else and if it is not within his
own power to hand down to his own children the imperial
succession?

We read, of course, that ‘Abia begot Asaph, Asaph begot
Josaphat, Josophat begat Joram, Joram begat Ozias,’16 and
so up to the time of the captivity every succession took place
through a line of kings of equal rank and honor. Do you
think that, because they were kings, they had the power
actually to govern their own movements — movements which
were committed to the control of the celestial signs? What
human being can have dominion over these?

(19) Again, if all our acts and deeds depend on the fates
acquired at our birth and not on principles of morality, why
are laws established and statutes promulgated by which
punishment is meted out to the wicked and security bestowed

16 Matt. 1.7,8.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

143

on the innocent? Why is pardon not granted to the accused,
since, to be sure, they fell into crime by reason, as is main¬
tained, of necessity and not by an act of their own will?
Why does the farmer toil and not rather wait until it is time
to convey into his storehouses the produce for which he has
not labored, relying on the prerogatives of his birth? If he
was destined by birth to be endowed with wealth without the
expenditure of labor, he should undoubtedly wait until the
earth brings forth fruit spontaneously without seed. If such
were the case he should not sink his ploughshare into the
earth or put his hands on the curved scythe or undergo the
expense of harvesting the grapes. Rather, the wine would
without effort flow plenteously into his stock of jars. With¬
out effort, too, he would let the wild olive berry exude its
oil without the labor of grafting upon the trunk of the olive
tree. In the same way a merchant who travels over the wide
seas would not be in dread of the perils that threaten his
own life, for it is within his power, because of a certain destiny
allotted to him at birth, to come without labor into a
wealth of treasure.

But this is far from the accepted opinion. As a matter of
fact, the farmer cleaves the earth ‘with deep-driven plough’ ;
‘stripped he ploughs, stripped he sows’; stripped in the glow¬
ing ‘heat he thrashes on the floor the parched ears.’17 The
merchant, impatient when the east winds are blowing, ploughs
the sea often when the course is unsafe. Insolent and rash
men such as these are condemned by the Prophet, who
says:18 ‘Be thou ashamed, O Sidon, the sea speaketh,’ that
is to say, if dangers do not move you, then shame can check
and modesty confound you. ‘Be thou ashamed, O Sidon,’
in which there is no place for virtue, no care for safety, no
young men exercised in arms and ready to fight in defense of

17 Virgil, Georgies 1.45,298,299.

18 Isa. 23.4,3.

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144

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their country. They are anxiously and entirely preoccupied
with gain and the benefits derived from commerce. ‘What
the merchant sows, so does he reap.’

What reward is there for a Christian, if in his activities
and labors he follows the dictates of necessity, not those of
his own free will? There, where destiny decides, personal
initiative is held in no esteem.

Chapter 5

(20) We have spoken at length on this subject and do
not desire to say any more, lest some people may form the
opinion that what was taken up merely for the purpose of
refutation has been presented for the purpose of publicizing
it. As a matter of fact, how can these subjects which as
children we held in ridicule now seriously enter our thoughts
in our declining years? Therefore, let us now direct our pen
to what remains of our reading of Scripture.

(21) ‘Let there be lights to serve as signs and for the
fixing of seasons, days and years,’1 He said. We have already
discussed the subject of ‘signs.’

What are seasons but successive changes, that is, winter,
spring, summer, and autumn? During these seasons the
passage of the sun is either swift or slow, scarcely touching
us at one time with its rays; at another, burning us with its
heat. And so we have winter when the sun lingers in the
southern regions. When the sun is somewhat far away, the
earth grows rigid with frost and is stiffened by cold. The
earth is covered by all-pervading nocturnal shadows, so that
the nights are much longer in extent than are the days.
From this fact it happens that during the storms of winter a
great amount of snow and rain is precipitated. When, how-

1 Gen. 1.14.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

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ever, the sun, leaving the southern regions, returns to its
position over the earth, the duration of day and night be¬
comes equal. Then, the more it prolongs its sojourn, the more
it gradually tempers the air with its heat and with the
clemency of its atmosphere, which fosters all things and
forces them once more to reproduction. The result is that
the earth germinates and the seeds released from the fur¬
rows come to life again, the trees sprout and in their effort
to perpetuate their kind successively each year all species of
terrestial and marine life propagate themselves. But when
the sun rises toward the summer solstice in the north, the
daytime is lengthened, thereby narrowing and restricting the
period of night. And so, the more assiduously the sun links
itself and mingles with our atmosphere, the more completely
does it furnish heat to the air and at the same time dry up
the moisture of the earth, thus causing the seeds to sprout
forth and the offspring of the forests to ripen, as it were, into
manhood. At the time when the sun becomes warmer, the
shadows at noon become shorter, inasmuch as the sun in this
region shines from a position high above us.

(22) Since the Synagogue says in the Canticle of Can¬
ticles: ‘Show me, O thou whom my soul has loved, where
thou feedest, where thou liest at midday, lest perchance I
begin to wander after the flocks of thy companions,’2 that is:
Announce to me, O Christ, whom has my soul loved. Why
not rather whom [my soul] loves? The Synagogue loved, but
the Church loves and never changes her affection for
Christ. ‘Where thou feedest,’ we read, ‘where thou liest at
midday.’ I desire to follow you into those places like a
foster-child, to whom I once held fast as if in wedlock and

1 wish to search for your flock because I have lost mine.
You feed at midday in the Church’s pasture where Justice

2 Cant. 1.6.

3 Cf. Ps. 36.6.

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146

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shines, where Judgment gleams like the noonday,3 where no
shadow is seen, where the days are longer, because the Sun
of Justice dwells therein for a longer time just as in the
months of summer. The day of the Lord is, therefore, not
brief. It is long because it has been written: ‘Before the
great day of the Lord doth come.’4 Hence Jacob says: ‘All
the days of my life are brief and evil,’5 for a dubious light
is evil. Brief days are, therefore, of dubious light and are not
luminous. The contrary is true of the long days, as many
people who live in warm countries realize from experience.
Accordingly, the Synagogue in its brief and evil days was in
very deep shade. Its type is often expressed in the person of
Jacob or of his people. It did not behold the Sun of Justice
shining from overhead, but, rather, since winter was at hand,
shining from the direction of the south. But this is said to the
Church: ‘The winter is now past, is over and gone. The
flowers have appeared in our land, the time of the harvest
has come.’6 Winter existed before the coming of Christ;
after His coming, the flowers of the spring and summer’s
harvest appear. Since it faces the light shining from the south
and from the region of the converted Gentiles, the Synagogue
lies in shadow. The Gentiles ‘who sat in darkness’ — the
Gentiles, the people of the nations, a confused people — ‘have
seen a great light ; to them that sat in the region and shadow
of death, a light has arisen.’7 This is a great and divine light
which is not darkened by any shadow of death. So it shines
from above, because through the voice of Zachary it is
written: ‘Wherewith the Orient from on high has visited us,
to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of
death.’8 There is, of course, a shadow of salvation, not of

4 Joel 2.31.

5 Gen. 47.9.

6 Cant. 2.11.

7 Matt. 4.16; Isa. 9.2.

8 Luke 1.78.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

147

death, as has been said: ‘Thou shalt protect me under the
shadow of thy wings’9 — ‘shadow,’ in fact, because it is of the
body; ‘shadow,’ too, because it is of the cross. It is the
shadow of salvation, because in it was the remission of sins
and the resurrection of the dead.

( 23 ) We can state the problem succinctly in the following
way: winter days are short while their shadows are long;
summer days are long, whereas their shadows are short. In
the middle of the day a shadow is shorter than it is at its
beginning or end. This is the situation with us who live in
the west. However, there are people living in the southern
regions who for two days in the year are without shadows,
since the sun’s rays strike from a position directly overhead,
thus illuminating everything on all sides. Hence, these are
called in Greek ‘Ascii.’10 Many also report the fact that in
that region the sun is so perpendicularly situated above that
water can be seen gleaming deep down through the narrow
openings of a well. In the south there is report of a people
who are called ‘Amphiscii’11 because they cast a shadow on
each side.

The person, in fact, who travels in the direction of the
sun casts his shadow behind him. This happens when he
advances toward the east in the morning hours or toward
the south at midday or toward the west at sunset. From three
directions, therefore, may the sun strike a person; from the
east, the south, and the west. Our shadows are behind us
in the morning and in the evening, and at noon the situation
is similar. Moreover, the sun does not reach us from the
north. For that reason, if you face northward in the morning
or in the evening or at midday you cast no shadow behind
you. Only those people who live in the southern regions of
this world which we inhabit are able, it appears, to cast their

9 Ps. 16.8.

10 Men without a shadow.

11 Men with double shadows.

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148

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shadows in a southerly direction. This is said to happen in
the height of summer when the sun is advancing toward the
north.

For us there is the relief of autumn. At its coming the
excessive heat of summer is broken. Autumn, relaxing its
warmth and moderating its temperature to what is equable,
hands us over without malice or harm to the breezes of
winter.

(24) ‘Let there be [lights] for the fixing of days,’12 says the
Scripture — not that they may make the days, but that they
may have a principal part in their making, so that the sun
may illuminate the dawn with more generous gifts and with
its light can designate the course of the entire day. In such
a sense some interpret the words of the Prophet: ‘The sun
to rule the day, the moon and the stars to rule the night,’13
as they cast their lights around.

The sun and the moon, too, were designed ‘to fix the
years.’ The moon in twelve times thirty days, according to
the Hebrews, completes the year with the addition of a few
days, and according to the Romans with an intercalary day
added every fourth year. The solstitial year is that portion of
time which corresponds to the completion of a period in
which the sun makes a circuit through all the signs and then
returns to the point of its departure.14

Chapter 6

(25) God made, therefore, these two great luminaries. We
may assume that by their own right they are great and not
merely by comparison with other objects such as the broad

12 Gen. 1.14.

13 Ps. 135.8,9.

14 Cf. Isidore, Etymol. 5.36.3.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

149

heavens and the mighty sea. We must admit the mightiness
of that sun which fills with its heat the entire earth as the
moon, too, fills not only the earth with its light, but also this
atmosphere of ours, the sea, and the firmament. In what-
every part of the heavens these lights may be, they illuminate
everything and are observed equally by all. So much is this
true that people of every race believe that these luminaries
delight in lingering in their respective native countries. They
believe that they are present there only, furnishing light to
them alone, whereas these lights shine on all without distinc¬
tion. Everyone is convinced, moreover, that he is nearer these
luminaries than any other individual.

As a proof of its great size one may note that the orb of the
moon seems to all men to be of the same dimensions. Although
at times its light may increase or diminish, its appearance
on any one night is the same for me as it is for all men. If it
were to appear smaller to distant people and if to people
living nearer it would seem to shine more brilliantly, we
would then have clear indications of the narrow compass of
its range and its extent. The reason is that all objects are
considered by us to be smaller when we are some distance
away from them, while other objects are regarded as larger
if seen closer at hand. The size of an object increases in
proportion as the beholder comes nearer. The sun’s rays
are neither nearer to any one individual nor more remote.
In like manner, the sphere of the moon has for all men the
same size. The sun when it rises appears at the same instant
alike to the people of India and of Britain. When it sets,
the sun does not appear to be smaller to the inhabitants of
the east than it does to those of the west. When the sun
rises it does not seem to the people of the west to be smaller
than it does to the people of the east. As Scripture says: ‘As
far as the east is from the west.’1 These points are distant

l Ps. 102.12.

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150

SAINT AMBROSE

one from the other but that is not true in regard to the sun.
It does not lie nearer any other object nor more remote
from it.

(26) Do not be disturbed by the fact that the sun on
rising seems to be about a cubit in extent. Rather, consider
that between the sun and the earth there lies a space which
our vision, because of its weakness, cannot penetrate with¬
out a loss of effectiveness. Our vision is clouded. Are we to
conclude that the sun or moon is clouded, also? Our vision
is limited. Does that make more limited the things that we
see? The apparent size of an object is diminished, not the
real. We ought not to ascribe to the luminaries a weakness
which is due merely to our senses.

Our sight deceives us. Therefore, do not put trust in its
testimony. The heavenly bodies present the appearance of
smallness, but their form is actually not so. If from the top
of a mountain you wish to view a plain before your eyes with
cattle feeding therein, will they not take on the appearance
of ants?2 If you should look far out to sea from some point
on shore, will not the largest ships with their sails flashing
amid the blue of the sea appear to you in the distance like
doves in flight? More than that, even the islands with their
extensive areas which deck the sea seem circumscribed in a
narrow space, taking on a smooth appearance instead of a
rough one, a look of density instead of its contrary! Take
account, therefore, of the weakness of your eyesight and like
a just judge rely on yourself, putting trust as the same time
in those things which we affirm to be true.3

(27) Do you want to estimate the huge size of the sun
with your bodily eyes as well as with the eyes of your mind?
Consider the extent in which the spheres of the stars seem
to cover and illuminate with lights innumerable the firma-

2 Cf. Lucretius 2.534,335.

3 Ibid. 4.353-363.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

151

ment of the heavens. Yet, for all that, they do not succeed
in dispersing the clouds of the sky and the darkness of night¬
time.4 As soon as the sunrise has sent forth its standards,
all the glowing stars vanish beneath the flashing rays of one
luminary, the surroundings are unveiled, and the sky is
flooded with a purple flush of light. The dawn at its in¬
ception is still breathing. In a flash the splendor of the sun’s
fiery rays emerge and the breeze’s sweet breath is a fore¬
runner of the rising sun. Tell me, if you please, how could
the sun illuminate the great orb of the earth unless it, too,
was mighty?

(28) What shall I say of the Creator’s great moderation
and control? He conferred such measure on the sun’s opera¬
tion that its fiery flame to all appearances has not by its
pervading heat burned up the veins of the earth and the
entire structure of matter?5 Again, in such an extensive
world the sun has not by becoming cool ceased from the act
of infusing the ‘seed of heat’6 into the earth. Rather, thrusting
aside infecundity and want, it has effectively bestowed on
the earth the blessing of warmth with its accompanying
fertility.

Chapter 7

(29) What we have stated in regard to her consort and
brother applies in similar fashion to the moon, since the
latter assumes the same offices as her brother, namely that of
illuminating the darkness, cherishing the seeds, and in¬
creasing the produce of the soil. She has functions, also,
which are different from her brother’s. The moisture which
throughout the day the heat has absorbed from the earth is

4 Cf. Horace, Odes 1.7.15.

5 Gf. Lucretius 2.61 ( species rerum) .

6 Lucretius 1.902; 6.200,201.

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152

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replaced in the short space of night in the form of dew,1
of which the moon is said to be a generous dispenser. Hence,
when the night is clear and the moon shines the whole night
long, a larger amount of dew is then said to fall. Many
reclining in the open air have experienced the phenomenon
of collecting more dew on their heads, the longer they rested
in the moonlight. Wherefore, in the Canticles, Christ speaks
to the Church: ‘For my head is full of dew and my locks
of the drops of the night.’2

Then, again, the moon goes through a process of waxing
and waning. It becomes smaller when as a new moon it
rises, at which point it gradually approaches a fuller form.
In this we can see a great mystery. The elements are affected
by the waning of the moon. After a period of exhaustion,
strength is regained at the time of the moon’s waxing. We
may note this process in two instances: in the brains of
living things and in the amount of water in shellfish. In fact,
oysters and many other kinds of shellfish are said to be more
developed at the time when the moon is becoming fuller.
The same phenomenon is related by those who have made
special investigation into the internal structure of trees.
We see, therefore, that the waxing and waning of the moon
is not the result of weakness, but of plan and purpose. If it
were not that the Creator had thought fit to bestow unusual
excellence and beauty on such significant changes, these
changes would not have been allotted to matter.

(30) Some learned men, including some who are Christians,
have claimed that the air usually changes at the rising of
the moon. Yet, if these lunar changes should result in some
unusual upheaval, then clouds would conceal the sky and
rain would fall at every rising of the moon. So, when
there was talk the previous day of a much desired rainfall,

1 Cf. Virgil, Georgies, 2.202.

2 Cant. 5.2.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

153

some person remarked, ‘See, the new moon will bring it.’
Although we were all eager for rain, I had no desire to
believe that such assertions are true. Hence, I was delighted
when no rain fell, until it was granted as a consequence
of the Church’s prayers. Wherefore, it was made manifest
that one should not expect rain to follow the new moon,
but that is should be granted by a provident and beneficent
Creator.

In fact, although channels of water during other phases
of the moon rise and afterwards sink to their former level
or even rush along violently without any external force,
these same bodies of water remain calm at the time of the
new moon before its light is observable.3 When in the course
of time the moon comes into view, then the waters return
to their accustomed ebb and flow. Again, during those days
when the new moon is not in evidence the ebb tide, which
is reputed to exist in the ocean, is said to follow its usual
course. On the occasion of the moon’s rise, according to
report, clear indications of change make their appearance.
To be more precise, the western sea,4 towards which the
ebb tide directs itself, rises and falls with greater force, as
if it were driven backward and forward by the same lunar
exhalations, until it ultimately falls back into its normal
and accustomed channel.

Chapter 8

(31) Hence, if you wonder at the fact that the moon can
suffer a loss of light while it has in itself the power to pro¬
duce change, consider that we are here in the presence of a

3 Cf. Virgil, Eclogues 2.26.

4 The Atlantic Ocean; see S. Giet, Basile de Cesaree (Paris 1949) 382
nn. 2-4.

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154

SAINT AMBROSE

great mystery. From this let men deduce the lesson that
nothing can exist in the universe, be it human or any other
created thing, which shall not at some time pass away.1 Even
the moon, to which the Lord has granted - the important
office of illuminating the whole world, goes through the
process of waxing and waning. All things, which spring from
nothing, reach their perfection and again diminish in perfec¬
tion, being subject to decline. Hence we are told: ‘Heaven
and earth shall pass away.’2 Why, then, do we not moderate
our emotions and face adversities with courage? For He who
has created all things from nothing has the power to bear
you aloft to the summit of perfection. In a similar manner,
we should control our feelings of joy in prosperity and not
take pride in our positions of wealth and power. Likewise,
we should not boast of our physical strength or beauty which
is liable both to corruption and to constant change. Rather,
we should strive for that beauty of soul which endures into
future time.

If you are afflicted with sadness at the sight of the waning
of the moon ‘which repairs its losses’ and renews itself,3 all
the more ought you to be saddened if your soul, which has
been filled with the fruit of virtue, should frequently after¬
ward change its intent and purpose by an attitude of incon¬
stancy and heedlessness. This is the height of stupidity and
ignorance, for, as Scripture says: ‘A fool is changed as the
moon.’4 Hence, a wise man does not change with the moon:
‘He shall continue with the sun.’5

Wherefore the moon does not partake of folly, because
the moon does not change like the fool, but the fool like the
moon. The seed of the just remains ‘as the moon, perfect for

1 Cf. Horace, Odes 2.11.10-12.

2 Matt. 24.35.

3 Horace, Odes 4.7.1 3.

4 Eccli. 27.12.

5 Ps. 71.5.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

155

ever and a faithful witness in heaven.’6 To perform one’s
function is one thing; to have no fixed beliefs and to be
carried away by unstable whims and emotions presents a
situation that is quite different. The moon toils for you7 and
by reason of the will of God is made subject: Tor creation
is made subject to vanity, not by its own will but by reason of
him who made it subject in hope.’8 It is you who undergoes
changes of your own volition, not the moon. The moon
‘groans and travails in pain’9 in its changes. You, without
understanding, often find joy in this. The moon frequently
awaits your release from sin, that it may be realeased from
the servitude in which all creation shares. But you place
obstacles to your release from sin and to the moon’s freedom.
The fact that you yourself still await that conversion which
fails to come,10 whereas the moon suffers change, is, then,
the result, not of the moon’s folly, but of your’s.

(32) Your opinion of the moon should be based, not on
the observation of your eyes, but on the insight of your mind.
The moon diminishes in size so as to make an addition to the
sum of physical phenomenon. This, therefore, is a great
mystery. He who has allotted His gifts to all things has
allotted this to the moon. He has emptied it so as to replenish
it. He has even ‘emptied Himself’11 that He might replenish
all, for He emptied Himself that He might come down for
us. He came down for us that He might ascend for all. It is
written, in fact: ‘He who ascended above the heavens that
he might fill all things.’12 Hence, one of the Apostles says:
‘For of his fullness we have all received.’13 The moon, there-

6 Ps. 88.38.

7 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 2.478.

8 Rom. 8.20.

9 Rom. 8.22.

10 Cf. Rom. 8.19.

11 Phil. 2.7.

12 Eph. 4.12.

13 John 1.16.

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156

SAINT AMBROSE

fore, has made known the mysteries of Christ. It is no slight
thing in which He has placed His sign. No slight thing is that
which contains the type of His beloved Church, as the
Prophet points out when he says: ‘In his days shall justice
spring up and abundance of peace till the moon be taken
away.’14 And in the Canticles the Lord says of His spouse:
‘Who is she that looks forth as the morning rising, fair as the
moon, excellent as the sun?’15

Deservedly is the moon compared to the Church, who has
shone over the entire world and says as she illuminates the
darkness of this world: ‘The night is far advanced, the day
is at hand.’16 Fittingly does she say: ‘She that looks forth,’
as if looking from a higher position on one’s own, in accord¬
ance with the statement: ‘The Lord hath looked down from
heaven upon the children of men.’17 Looking down, then,
the Church has, like the moon, her frequent risings and
settings. She has grown, however, by her settings and has by
their means merited expansion at a time when she is under¬
going diminution through persecution and while she is being
crowned by the martyrdom of her faithful. This is the real
moon which from the perpetual light of her own brother
has acquired the light of immortality and grace. Not from
her own light does the Church gleam, but from the light of
Christ. From the Sun of Justice has her brilliance been ob¬
tained, so that it is said: ‘It is now no longer I that live, but
Christ lives in me.’18

Happy, in truth, is that which merited such an honor!
Wherefore I would not call you happy by reason of your
renewals, but by the fact that you are a type of the Church.

14 Ps. 71.7.

15 Cant. 6.9.

16 Rom. 13.12.

17 Ps. 13.2.

18 Gal. 2.20.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FOUR

157

In the former case you are but a servant; in the latter, our
beloved !

(33) How ridiculous is the current belief that you can be
brought to earth by magical charms! These are old wives’
tales, the gossip of the common crowd. Who would believe
that a work of God assigned to such important service could
be affected by the superstitions of the Chaldeans? He who
was brought down not by magical charms but by his own
will, who ‘disguises himself as an angel of light,’19 may very
well have fallen from heaven. To be sure, there are those
who believe that the Church, too, can be moved from her
place and position. There are many men who provoke the
Church, but the charms of the magician can not harm her.
Magical chants are of no avail there where the canticles of
Christ are chanted daily. Her own chanter is Jesus, our Lord,
through whom magical charms and serpents’ poison were
made void. She is like a serpent which placed on high de¬
voured the snakes,20 and, although a deadly Egyptian chant
be murmured,21 its force is lost at the utterance of the name
of Christ. So, too, Paul blinded Elymas,22 thus depriving
him of his eyesight and of his futile magic powers at one and
the same time. In like manner, Peter cast down to the
ground Simon, who by the evil power of his charms sought
to soar aloft by magic to the heights of heaven.

Chapter 9

(34) I feel sure that the fourth day has come to a close in
a wonderful way. How does it happen, then, that many

19 2 Cor. 11.14.

20 Cf. Nura. 21.8; John 3.14.

21 Cf. Exod. 7.11.

22 Cf. Acts 13.11.

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158

SAINT AMBROSE

people generally avoid the fourth day and think that it is use¬
less to begin anything in association with a number with
which the entire world blazoned forth in a new light? Do
they believe that the sun came into being under inauspicious
circumstances? And how is it possible for a person to predict
good fortune for another, if he himself is unable to choose
for himself the day of his own birth? How can they make
known the horoscope of a person without knowing anything
of his birth? What do we say of the moon which rises on the
fourth day?1 Does not the fourteenth day indicate for us the
day of salvation?2 Is the date on which is celebrated the
mystery of the Redemption an occasion for our displeasure?
Hence, the demons are responsible for attempts to avoid the
number four, for in it their wickedness was destroyed. And so
the Gentiles maintain that nothing should be initiated with
it, because they know that then for the first time their schemes
began to be of no avail. Moreover, the Gentile race had
already come into the fold of the Church.

If the moon is at its fourth rising be ‘clear and with undim¬
med horns,’3 it is thought that this is an indication that the re¬
maining days of the month will be serene up to the very end.
To think that people are unwilling to start anything on those
days which are destined to be followed by calm weather!

But we must in the midst of this discourse of ours be on
our guard lest the fourth day should suddenly come to an
end. ‘Longer shadows are falling from the mountain-heights,’4
as the light becomes dim and the shades of evening grow
more dense.

1 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 1.432.

2 The Jewish Christians observed the feast of the Resurrection on the
14th day of the month Nisan.

3 Virgil, Georgies 1 .433-435.

4 Virgil, Eclogues 1.84.

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BOOK FIVE: THE FIFTH DAY

THE SEVENTH HOMILY

Chapter 1

f l%E HE ENTIRE earth was now arrayed in its verdant garb
■El UK of diverse plants. The sun, too, and the moon, those
&&J USB twin luminaries, and the stars in their splendor shone
forth in the heavens. A third element still remained, in
which the blessing of life was to be bestowed by the gift of
God. All things on earth are being sustained and nourished
by the air above.1 The earth opening up the seeds gives life
to everything. Then under the command of God’s word, it
blossomed forth at the gift of creative life. Water alone
seemed not yet to have been affected by the generosity of
God’s’ gift. There still was something which waited for the
hands of the Creator. With the water He saved a certain
fitting and special endowment which He would set aside for
the functions appropriate to it. The earth was the first
element on which the boon of life was conferred, but this
life has no animating soul. The water, in its turn, was bidden
to produce that which would bestow the force and dignity of

1 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 6.726.

159

160

SAINT AMBROSE

something that is alive — something that is provided with a
sense of self-preservation and with the instinct of shrinking
from death.

(2) And God also said: ‘Let the waters abound with life
and above the earth let winged creatures fly below the
firmament of the heavens.’2

At this command the waters immediately poured forth
their offspring. The rivers were in labor. The lakes produced
their quota of life. The sea itself began to bear all manner
of reptiles and to send forth according to its kind whatever
was there created. The tiny creeks and the muddy marshes
were not without exercising the power of creation granted
to them. Fish leaped from the rivers. Dolphins frolicked in
the waves. Shell-fish clung to the rocks. Oysters adhered to
the depths and the sea-urchins waxed strong.

Alas, enticement, the mother of our life of ease, existed
before the creation of man! Before man there existed things
to delight us! The temptation of man antedated his creation.
But this was not nature’s fault. Nature gave us nourishment
and did not prescribe vice. These things were given for
common use. Therefore, you were not to claim anything as
your own personal property. For you did the earth give
generously of her fruits. For you did the waters generate the
scari and the acipenseres and all their produce.3 Not satisfied
with these, you have tasted food that is forbidden to you.
Everything is heaped up before your envious eyes, so that
the perversity of your greed may become all the more
grievous.

(3) But we are unable to record the multiplicity of the
names of all those species which by divine command were
brought to life in a moment of time. At the same instant

2 Gen. 1.20.

3 A species of fish regarded as a delicacy by the Romans.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

161

substantial form and the principle of life were brought into
existence; associated was a sort of vital vigor and power.
The earth was replete with plants. The sea was filled with
living things. In the one, vegetative life blossomed forth; in
the other, animal life prevailed. In the earth, too, water
claimed its part. The earth is laved by the fish of the sea.
From it comes their prey. Gnats buzz and frogs croak even
around the borders of the marshes that gave them birth.
They, too, have heard the command of the Lord: ‘Let the
waters abound with life.’

(4) We know that the serpent species is given the name
of ‘creeper’ from the fact that it is creeps over the earth.
With more assurance we can say that every creature that
swims presents the natural appearance of a creature that
creeps. For, when these animals sink into deep water, they
seem to cleave through it. Yet, when they swim, they seem
to creep with their whole body as they propel it over the
surface of the water. Flence David has also said : ‘This great
sea which stretcheth wide its arms; there are creeping things
without number.’4 There are a great many such animals
provided with feet for walking. They are amphibians, living
either in the water or on land; for example, seals, crocodiles
and water-horses. The latter are called hippopotamuses from
the fact that they are generated in a river, in this case, the
Nile. These animals do not walk, however, when they are in
deep water. Rather, by using their feet they are able by
swimming to propel themselves forward; not, however, as
one would perform the act of walking. The animal makes
progress as one would with the use of an oar, just as a boat
glides along with the help of oars and ‘ploughs the waters
with its keel.’5

4 Ps. 103.25.

5 Virgil, Aeneid 5.142.

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SAINT AMBROSE

Chapter 2

(5) ‘Let the waters abound with life,’ said the Lord — a
brief statement, but a significant one and one that is widely
effective in endowing with their nature the smallest and the
largest animals without distinction. The whale, as well as the
frog, came into existence at the same time by the same
creative power. Without effort does God produce the great¬
est things. He is not averse to creating the least.1 Nature is
not in pain when she gives birth to dolphins, just as she is
not in pain when she produces tiny animals like snails and
purple-fish.

Take note of the fact that there are far more animals in
the sea than on land. Count, if you can, all the species of
fish from the smallest to the greatest, for example, the cuttle¬
fish, the polypus, the oyster, the sea and river crab, and even
the different types among these. What shall I say of the
different species of serpent, of the dragon, the murena, and
the eel? — not to mention the scorpions, the frogs, the tortoise,
the mustela, also, and the sea-dog, the sea-calf, the monstrous
shark,2 the dolphin, the seal, and the sea-lion. What need is
there to add to our list the sea-ousel, the sea-thrush, and the
sea-peacock, whose colors we see in the feathers of birds as,
for example, the black ousel and the peacock with its varied
colored back and neck; also in the feathers of the thrush
with its spotted breast and in the feathers of the rest of the
birds whose names and species belong to this earth of ours?
These, as a matter of fact, came into existence in the seas
and in the multitudinous rivers, since the waters at the divine
command were the first to produce ‘creeping creatures hav¬
ing life.’

( 6 ) Add to this the beneficence of God whereby what we

! Cf. Cicero, De nalura deorum 3.86,93.

2 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 5.822.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

163

cherish in the water is an object of fear on land. This is true,
because what is harmful on land is in water without harm —
even the water-snakes are bereft of poison. The lion is a
terrifying animal on land; he is gentle in the water. The
murena, which is said to be somewhat harmful, is a choice
table food. The frog is repellent when in the marshes, is
pleasing when in water, and excels all in its deliciousness as
food. If you desire to know more on this subject, make en¬
quiry of fishermen in different localities, for no one person
can possibly know all there is to know.

Be on your guard, of course, against dogs; even those in
the sea. These the Apostle instructs us to beware of and to
avoid even in the Church: ‘Beware of the dogs, beware of
the evil-workers.’3 The mustela (marten), which on land is
malodorous, is sweet-smelling in the sea. As a land animal it
is capable of defending itself by its odor ; as a marine animal,
it affords no less pleasure when caught than when it is free.

I shall not refrain from addressing by name the thymallus,4
endowed with the name of a flower. Wherever you are
found, whether in the waters of the Ticino or of the beautiful
Adige, a flower you are. A more forceful testimony to the
fact that you give forth a sweet odor lies in the facetious
remark: You smell like a fish or a flower. According to
usage, therefore, the odor of the fish is identical with that of
the flower. What is more pleasing than your appearance,
more delightful than your sweetness, and more fragrant than
your odor? You emit from your body an odor which may
well be compared to that of honey.6

What shall I say of the tender qualities of the ravens and
wolves of the sea? These wolves do not inspire fear in lambs.
Such is the charm of water that its sea-lions flee from the

3 Phil. 3.2.

4 Probably a species of salmon.

5 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 4.169.

164

SAINT AMBROSE

sea-calves, as follows from the prophetic utterance on the
sanctity of the Church: ‘Then the wolf and the lamb shall
feed together, the lion and the ox shall eat straw.’6 This is
not to be wondered at, since even in the Church the effect
of water [of baptism] is such that the guilt of the wicked,
once it is washed away, has become assimilated to innocence.

Why should I make mention here, also, of the purple of
kings which adorn their banquet halls and give color to their
garments? What is venerated in kings is a gift of water;7
of water, too, is the brilliance of their array. Add to this
fact that the sea-pig was esteemed by the Jews, because
there is nothing impure which water does not make clean.
For this reason, that which is not in the same status as the
land animal they cannot consider to be impure.

Chapter 3

(7) Innumerable are the ways, innumerable, too, are the
species of fish. Various kinds1 of larger fish, such as trout,
produce eggs. They entrust these seeds to the fostering care
of the waters. The water, therefore, like a fond mother of
living things, gives them breath and life and carries out the
function, as if it were a perpetual one, provided by the first
primal law. Others, such as the female of the mustela, pro¬
duce from their bodies living offspring. This is true of the
sea-dogs and the monstrous whales, the dolphins, seals, and
others of that species. If, perchance, when they have brought
forth their offspring, they have a presentiment of some
situation of extreme danger, in order to protect their youth¬
ful progeny and to allay their panic, they have recourse to

6 Isa. 65.25.

7 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 1.637-642.

1 Cf. Isidore, Etymol. 12.6.6; A. C. Andrews, TAPA 86 (1955) 314 n. 43.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

165

the following manifestation of maternal affection. Opening
their mouths, they cause their offspring to attach them¬
selves to their teeth, which in this case cause no harm. It is
related, also, that they receive and hide their offspring within
their bodies, even within the womb that bore them.

What human emotion can compare with this devotion on
the part of fish for their progeny? We are satisfied to offer a
kiss. It is not sufficient for them to open their wombs to
receive their young. They invite them back without in¬
flicting harm and reanimate them by the fostering heat of
their bodies. They restore them by their breath, so that they
live as two in one body. This they do until conditions are
safe for their young or while by the interposition of their
bodies they are able to defend their own brood from the
perils which lie in wait for them. Who on beholding this
devotion would not, even though he were able to attain
it, consider himself to be their inferior by far? Who would
not in his wonder be astonished that nature should retain
among fishes that quality which men have lost? Many men
have slain their long-wanted sons because of suspicion and
hate of a step-mother. Others, as we read,2 have eaten the
flesh of their own children. A mother became the tomb of
her own dear ones, whereas the womb of the parent fish
serves as a sort of rampart to protect the innocent fosterlings
sheltered within her womb.3

(8) Different species of fish, therefore, follow diverse
customs. Some produce eggs; others give birth to offspring
alive and already formed. Those which produce eggs do not,
as birds do, build a nest. They do not undergo the fatigue
resulting from an extended period of brooding; they do not
at great discomfort to themselves give nourishment to their
young. The egg falls and is received in the womb of mother

2 Cf. Deut. 28.53; 4 Kings 6.28.

3 Cf. Cicero, De officiis 1.97.

166

SAINT AMBROSE

nature, who welcomes it as a fond nurse would, quickly
forming it into a living being by the exercise of fostering
care. No sooner is the egg given life by the touch of the
parent that it falls and fish issues forth.

(9) And then what pure and untarnished generations
follow without intermingling one after another, so that a
thymallus produces a thymallus; a sea- wolf, a sea-wolf. The
sea-scorpion, too, preserves unstained its marriage bed. Thus
it shares in the chastity of its species, but not in its poisonous
qualities, for the sea-scorpion does not sting. On the contrary,
it has curative qualities.

Fish, therefore, know nothing of union with alien species.
They do not have unnatural betrothals such as are designedly
brought about between animals of two different species as,
for instance, the donkey and the mare, or again the female
donkey and the horse, both being examples of unnatural
union. Certainly there are cases in which nature suffers more
in the nature of defilment rather than that of injury to the
individual. Man as an abettor of hybrid barrenness is respon¬
sible for this. He considers a mongrel animal more valuable
than one of a genuine species. You mix together alien species
and you mingle diverse seeds. You go to the extent of
frequently forcing animals to a forbidden copulation — all this
in the name of ‘efficiency.’ And because you cannot cause
in man a lack of fecundity by a mingling of species, you
take from man that with which he was bom — you take what
is virile from man and deny him the use of his sexual organs.
In this way you make a man a eunuch, so effecting by your
audacity what is denied to man by nature.

(10) How good a mother water can be we can learn from
the considerations that I here propose. Man has taught that
parents should repudiate their sons; he has taught separa¬
tions, hates, and injuries. For your benefit learn of the close
ties between parents and children.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

167

Fish cannot live without water. They cannot endure
separation from the association with their parents and from
the nourishment provided for them. Nature has so ordained
it that they die immediately when they are separated from
their element. They do not live, as other animals do, by
breathing this air of ours. Nature has not furnished them
with the means of respiration; otherwise, they would not be
able to keep living under water without breathing in air.
Our air corresponds to their water. Just as air provides for
us the means of living, water for them serves a similar func¬
tion. Life leaves us the instant our organs for breathing are
cut off, because we cannot even for a brief moment be de¬
prived of the breath of life. When deprived of their sus¬
tenance in water, fish, too, cease to live.

(11) The reasons for this are clear. We have lungs which
receive the air as it enters through the larger passages of the
thorax. Being permeated with numerous pores, the lungs are
able by the infusion of air to cool the internal heat. When
the thorax receives nutriment, it separates what is super¬
fluous from the health-giving juices and the blood; so, too,
the lung is accessible in order that the intake of air may all
the more readily reach it. Fish are furnished with gills which
sometmes fold up and close, at other times expand and open
up. In the process of closing and opening, the function of
respiration is carried out as water is received and transmitted
within.

Fish, therefore, have their own peculiar nature, which is
not shared with other animals. They have distinctive habits
and find their material for sustaining life in a very special
and alien substance. Wherefore they do not receive nourish¬
ment from man and do not find, as land animals do, any
pleasure and delight from the touch of man’s hand, not
even if they are kept alive in private fish-ponds.

168

SAINT AMBROSE

Chapter 5

(12) What shall I say about the closely packed arrange¬
ment of the teeth of fish? They do not have what sheep and
oxen possess, partial denture on one side of their gums.
Rather, they are armed with teeth on both sides, because, if
they delay in the act of swallowing their food in water, their
prey could easily be washed and carried away by the water’s
action. For that reason their teeth are closely-packed and
sharp so as to be able to bite and dispatch quickly their
food and swallow it easily without delay. Hence, they do not
chew the cud, as the scarus is said to do, if we are to believe
those who either by chance or design have come to know
such matters.

(13) To be sure, not even these have been able to escape
experiencing acts of violence imposed on them by their
fellows. The weaker everywhere are subject to the greed of
the more powerful. The weaker one is, the more is he an
object of prey. Many, it is true, feed on herbs and tiny worms,
but there are those, also, who devour each other and feed on
their own flesh. The lesser among them is the food of the
greater and the greater in his turn is attacked by one
stronger than he. The one who uses another as his prey
becomes the food of still another. So it comes to pass that he
who has devoured one fish is devoured in turn by another.
They both meet in the same belly: the devourer and the
devoured. The result is that together in the same entrails
there is fellowship of victor and avenger.1

In their case, perhaps, this violent way of living has grown
from inner compulsion, whereas with us it springs from
avarice, not from nature. Again, fish are given to man for

1 For the vogue of this subject, see W. Parsons, Traditio 3 (1945) 382.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

169

his use. They also constitute for us a pattern of the vices to
be observed in our society. They serve, too, as an example to
be avoided, lest the attack of the stronger on the weaker may
present an occasion for the former to be exposed in turn to
the violence of one who is still more powerful than he. In
this way the person who does injury to another prepares for
himself a snare for his own ultimate destruction.

(14) Those of you who attack another with deadly intent
and those of you who drown the weak and pursue your
victim even into the depths follow the example of this sort
of fish. Be on your guard, while you are in pursuit of him,
against an attack of a still stronger foe. The person who
escapes your trap may well lead you into another. While he
is in dread of the calamity in store for himself, your mis¬
fortune may first come before his eyes.

What is the difference between a rich man driven by his
wicked lusts to absorb the patrimony of the weak and the
fish called silurus whose belly is filled with the blood and
flesh of smaller fish? ‘The rich man died’2 and his spoils
were of no use to him. Why, even the infamy of his deeds
of depredation have made his name a by-word. The silurus
is taken and the futility of his predatory acts is revealed.
How many are the fish found here who have themselves
devoured others ! And you, rich man, have in your conscience
the fate of one who preyed on another, who had himself
come into possession of a poor man’s patrimony. In ruining
him you added two patrimonies to your possessions, yet you
are not satisfied. You say that you are taking vengeance on
others when you are performing the same deed for which
you are seeking vengeance. Thus, you are more unjust than
the unjust, more iniquitous than the iniquitous, more avar-

2 Luke 16.22.

170

SAINT AMBROSE

icious than the avaricious! See that you do not come to the
same end as the fish. Beware of the hook and the net !

But you do not anticipate any resistance to your power.
The silurus did not foresee that someone would throw out
a fish-hook or stretch out a net. He believed that, if he were
caught in the net, he would be able to break through it.
Still he did not escape the fisherman’s trident. He became
emeshed in bonds that were too strong to permit him to
escape. Without a doubt, the more serious the iniquities
which he commits, the more difficult is it for a person to
escape his crimes, until one day he is forced to pay for his
evil deeds the debt which is certainly difficult for him to
avoid.

Chapter 6

(15) We are justified, therefore, in comparing man to a
fish. Listen to the reason for that statement: ‘And the king¬
dom of heaven is like to a net cast into the sea that gathered
in fish of every kind. When it was filled, they hauled it out
and sitting down on the beach, they gathered the good fish
into vessels, but threw away the bad. So will it be at the end
of the world. The angels will go out and separate the wicked
from among the just and will cast them into the furnace of
fire.’1

Fish, then, are either good or bad. The good are pre¬
served for their reward; the bad are straightway burned.
The good fish is not ensnared by the net, but is lifted up.
He is not slain or killed by the hook, but is suffused with
the blood of a precious wound. In his mouth is found the

1 Matt. 13.47-50.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

171

good price by which the apostolic tribute and the tax due to
Christ may be paid.2 For thus is it written in the words of the
Lord : ‘From whom do the kings of the earth receive tribute
or customs; from their own sons or from others? And Peter
replied: “from others.” The Lord said: “Go to the sea and
cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up. And
opening its mouth thou wilt find a stater; take that and give
it to them for me and for thee.” ’3

(16) Do not, then, hold in fear, my good fish, the hook
of Peter. It does not kill. Rather, it consecrates. Do not
underestimate yourself because your body is weak. You have
in your mouth something which may serve as an offering
for Peter and for Christ. Do not hold in fear the nets of
Peter, to whom Jesus speaks:4 ‘Put out into the deep and
lower your nets for a catch.’ He does not throw out his net
on the left, but on the right side as was commanded by
Christ. Do not have fear for his catch, because it was to him
that was said: ‘Henceforth thou shalt catch men alive.’
He threw out his net, therefore, and caught Stephen, who in
the Gospel was the first to arise having in his mouth a stater
of justice. Whence he called out with sure confession of
faith : ‘Behold I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God.’5 The Lord Jesus is a
true representative of this fish, for He knew that in the
mouth of the fish there was the tribute of His tax. Stephen,
a generous witness of his faith, fulfilled the judgment and
the teaching of Peter on him as well as the grace of Christ
by a glorious martyrdom.

2 Cf. Matt. 17.26.

3 Matt. 17.24-26.

4 Luke 5.4.

5 Acts 7.55.

172

SAINT AMBROSE

Chapter 7

(17) Do not be troubled by the fact that I have compared
the Gospel to a sea. The sea is the Gospel on which Christ
walked. It is the Gospel on which Peter, with the support
of Christ’s right hand, discovered a defense for his faith
and the grace of stability, although he swerved from the
way by denying Him. And it is precisely from the Gospel
that Stephen arose. The Gospel is the sea in which the
Apostles fish, into which is cast the net which is like the
kingdom of heaven.1 The Gospel is the sea in which the
mysteries of Christ are revealed. The Gospel is the sea by
which the Hebrew made his escape and the Egyptian was
overwhelmed and slain.2 The Gospel is the sea, because the
Church is the bride of Christ and is also the plenitude of
divine grace, which is poured over the seas, as the Prophet
said: ‘He hath founded it upon the seas.’3 Man should
immerse himself in the waters, because he is in truth a fish.
Let not the floods of this world overwhelm you. If there is
a storm, make for the high seas and the depths. If the
weather is calm, play in the waves. If a tempest should
come, beware lest the seething waters drive you on the
rocky shore, for it is written: ‘Be therefore wise as serpents.’4

(18) Since the example of the cunning serpent has been
offered, let us be cunning, also, in regard to entrance into
the state of matrimony and to remaining therein. Let us
love this mutual association which has become our lot.
If those who have at the time of their births lived in entirely

1 Matt. 13.47.

2 Cf. Exod. 14.21-24.

3 Ps. 23.2.

4 Matt. 10.16.

SIX DAYS OF creation: five

173

different regions yet agree to live together, if it happens that
the husband should undertake a trip to a foreign land, no
distance or abstinence should diminish the cherished love of
the pair. The same law binds the present and the absent;
the same bond of nature cements together the rights of con¬
jugal love between the absent as well as between the present.
The necks of both parties are linked together in the same
beneficent yoke, even if one of them should find himself in
regions entirely remote, because both parties share in the
yoke of grace which is one of the spirit, not of the body.

When the viper, the deadliest kind of animal and the most
cunning of the whole species of serpents, evinces a desire for
copulation, he searches for a sea-murena already known to
him or he seeks for a new mate. Proceeding toward the shore,
he makes his presence known by a hissing sound, whereby
he invites conjugal embrace. The sea-murena does not repulse
the appeal and yields to the poisonous serpent the desired
enjoyment of their conjugal bond.

What is the purpose of such a discussion as this, if it does
not mean that we should put up with our married partner
and, if he is away from home, that we should await his
return to his family? Although he may be cruel, deceitful,
uncouth, wayward, and drunken, can this be more intoler¬
able than the poison which is no obstacle to the sea-murena
in dealing with her mate? When invited, she does not fail
to respond and embraces the slimy serpent with great affec¬
tion. The male endures your defects and your feminine
levities. Can you not bear with your husband? Adam was
deceived by Eve, not Eve by Adam.5 It is right that he whom
the woman enticed to do wrong should assume the office of

5 Cf. 1 Tim. 2.14.

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guide, lest he fall once more because of feminine instability.

But he is repugnant and uncouth! Yes, but he pleased you
at one time. Do you think that a husband should be chosen
more than once? The ox and the horse look for and cherish
their mates, and, if a substitution takes place, they are unable
to carry the yoke together. They feel that they do not form
an integral part of the team. You repudiate your yoke-mate
and think that a frequent change should be made. If one
day he fails you, you bring in a rival and straightway with¬
out knowing why, yet knowingly, you do violence to your
sense of modesty.

The viper searches for his absent mate, calls to her with
a hiss of invitation. When he feels his mate approaching,
he spits forth the poison with due regard for his consort and
the nuptial rite. Why do you repel your husband coming
back from a far country? The viper gazes upon the sea in
an endeavor to find his consort. You put obstacles in the
path of your husband. You stir up the poison of litigation.
You reject him and in the conjugal embrace emit dread
poison, scorning your husband and putting to shame your
nuptial bond.

(19) As for the man — for we can apply this example to
him, also : lay aside the inordinate emotions of your heart and
the rudeness of your manners when you meet your patient
wife. Get rid of your obstinacy when your gentle consort
offers you her love. You are not a master, but a husband.
You have not acquired perchance a handmaid, but a wife.
God designed you to be a guide to the weaker sex, not a
dictator. Be a sharer in her activities. Be a sharer in her love.
The viper pours forth his poison ; can you not get rid of your
hardness of heart? Although you have by nature a severity
of character, you ought to temper it in consideration of your

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

175

married state and control your tendency to rudeness by
holding in respect your conjugal relationship.

There are occasions for sin. Do not seek the bed that be¬
longs to another. Do not by guile enter into another union.
Adultery is a grievous offense. It does violence to nature.
At the beginning God formed two creatures, Adam and Eve;
that is, man and wife. He formed woman from the man;
this is, from the rib of Adam. He bade them both to live
in one body and in one spirit. Why, then, do you cleave one
body apart? Why do you divide one spirit? That is an
adulterous offense against nature. It is a lesson which is
taught us by the willing union of sea-murena and viper, a
union not grounded on similarity of species, but on ardent
desire. Give ear, men ! He who desires association with such
a serpent may be likened to one who seeks occasion to have
adulterous relations with another man’s wife. It can be said
that he has the very traits of a serpent. He hastens to the
viper who embraces him in the devious ways of lubricity,
not in the righteous ways of love. He hastens to one who
takes up again his poison like the viper and who is said to
consume again the poison, once the act of copulation has
been completed. The adulterer is like a viper. Hence Solomon
says that when a man is intoxicated his passions are aroused.
His body is swollen as if bitten by a snake and his poison is
spread abroad like a basilisk’s. That you may realize that he
has spoken of an adulterer, he added these words: ‘Thy
eyes shall behold strange women and thy mouth shall utter
perverse things.’6

(20) Do not form the opinion that we have based our
argument on contradictions, in that we have made use of
the example of a viper in order to point both a good and a

6 Prov. 22.33.

176 SAINT AMBROSE

bad moral. It serves the purposes of instruction to bring
forward a two-fold consideration. On the one hand, we
are like the serpent in being ashamed to be loyal to our
beloved. Again, by severing the bonds of holy matrimony we
prefer the harmful and the lubricous, as in the case of union
with a serpent, to what is really and truly salutary.

Chapter 8

(21) As we have entered upon a discussion on the trait
of craftiness, whereby a man strives to circumvent and de¬
ceive his brother and to contrive new ways of deception, thus
trapping by guile and trickery a person whom he cannot
overcome by force, it is not my intention to overlook the
well-known deceitful character of the polypus. This animal,
coming upon a rock on a shallow coast, fixes itself firmly
on it. At the same time, it assumes by subtle art the color
of the rock and conceals its back in a similar fashion. In this
manner a great number of fish, unsuspecting any fraud and
innocently believing that what they see is a rock, are taken
into this artfully contrived trap to be waylaid by the tentacles
of the polypus.

The prey thus makes its approach without external com¬
pulsion. It is captured by such methods as one would expect
of those who often change their nature and stir up diverse
means of ill,1 so as to tempt the minds and hearts of all
severally. Some boast of their continence when in converse
with the continent. Associating with the intemperate, they
show themselves to be devoid of chastity and to wallow in
the troughs of intemperance. Those who see or hear them
yield easily to their influence and for that reason soon fall
into temptation, being unable to turn aside or avoid what

1 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 7.338 (Allecto).

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

177

is likely to injure them. Weakness, when cloaked in the veil
of benignity, can inflict harm of a more serious nature. And
so we should be aware of those who extend the tentacles of
their deceit far and wide or those who assume various
shapes. These people are like the polypus that has manifold
entanglements and many astute ways by which it can en¬
snare whatever falls into the rocky shores wherein we are
beguiled.

(22) What tricks are displayed by the crab in its eager
search for food! The oyster is a special objective in its quest
for a delicious banquet. But its eagerness for food is tempered
by its sense of the possibility of being involved in danger,
for the chase is as difficult as it is perilous. Its difficulty lies
in the fact that the flesh of its victim is enclosed in a shell
of more than usual solidity. Just as in compliance with
divine power the delicacy of the flesh of its prey has been
stoutly defended by nature which nourishes and fosters it
in the form of an encircling rampart, so all in vain are the
crab’s attacks, because the closed oyster cannot be opened by
any display of force. There is the danger, too, that the
oyster may hook it in its claws. Therefore, the crab resorts
to artifice and contrives new ways of waylaying its prey.

Accordingly, since every living being is attracted by senti¬
ments of pleasure, the crab looks for an occasion when the
oyster, finding a place protected from the wind and within
range of the sun’s rays, opens wide its double doors and
unbars the bolts of its shell in order to enjoy to the full the
open air. At that moment the crab, by stealthily injecting a
pebble within the shell of the oyster, prevents it from
being closed. Having acquired an entrance in this manner,
the crab insterts its claws without danger to itself and devours
the flesh within the shell.

(23) There are men who, like the crab, exercise surrepti¬
tiously their guile on others and fortify their own weaknesses

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by the use of certain inherent characteristics. Thus they
weave a web of deceit around their brethren and find their
sustenance in another’s anxieties.

Be content with what is your own and do not let your
well-being be based on doing harm to your neighbor. You
may find your livelihood in the simplicity of innocence. The
man in possession of his own good knows nothing of way¬
laying others. He is not inflamed by the desires of the avari¬
cious man, whose every gain is at the expense of virtue and
a further incentive to cupidity. Therefore, ‘should he come
to know his blessings,’2 the poor man is truly happy who
lives righteously in a manner which is to be preferred to all
the treasures of the world, because ‘better a little with the
fear of the Lord than great treasures without fear.’ How
much under these circumstance does man need to support
life? If you go beyond that little and seek that, also, which
others find pleasure in possessing, that, too, has little to
commend it: ‘It is better to be invited to herbs with love
than to a fatted calf with hatred.’3

Let us use our talents, therefore, for the acquisition of
grace and the attainment of salvation, not for the circum¬
vention of others who harm us not. We may well make use
of examples taken from the sea, not for the purpose of
exposing others to danger, but to make ourselves more
perfect in the way of salvation.

Chapter 9

(2) The urchin, a tiny, common and despicable animal — ■
I refer to the sea variety — is frequently used by navigators
as a sign of a threatening storm or as a harbinger of clear

2 Virgil, Georgies 2.458.

3 Prov. 15.16,17.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

179

weather. The reason for this lies in the fact that at the
approach of a wind storm this little creature takes hold of a
fairly large pebble and uses it as a sort of ballast or anchor
so as to avoid being carried out of the water.1 Thus it
balances and directs itself by means of an alien weight, not
by its innate strength. This sign gives an indication to the
sailor that a storm is brewing. Accordingly, he takes pre¬
cautions lest the sudden approach of a hurricane may find
him unprepared.

What follower of the occult sciences, astrologer, or Chal¬
dean can reveal in a comparable way the course of the
stars, the movement of the heavens, and of the zodiacal
signs? By what natural instinct has the tiny creature acquired
this art? What teacher has instructed it? Who served as its
interpreter of augural lore? Men behold the turmoil in the
air and are often deceived, because at times the winds rush
in without bringing on a tempest. The sea-urchin is not
beguiled. Never at any time do its special signs fail to bring
results.

(25) Whence did this tiny creature acquire such sure
knowledge of the future? As there is nothing in the animal
itself which can make possible such foreknowledge, be
assured that it, too, has obtained the gift of prescience
through the loving-kindness of the Lord of all things.

For, if God so clothes the grass of the field that we are
struck with admiration; if He feeds the birds of the air;2
‘if he provides food for the raven, when her young ones
cry to God’;3 if He has given to women skill in the art of
weaving; if the spider, who so artfully and delicately ‘hangs
on the doorway her loose -woven nets,’4 is not left bereft of

1 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 4.194-196. (bees) .

2 Cf. Matt. 6.20,30.

3 Job 38.41.

4 Virgil, Georgies 4.247.

180

SAINT AMBROSE

wisdom; if He has given strength to the horse and sends
forth terror from his mane, so that he exults in the field and
laughs in the face of kings as he smells the battle afar off
and is aroused by the sound of the trumpet5 — if He has filled
with the largesse of His wisdom these manifold irrational
creatures as well as the grass and lilies of the field,6 who
can doubt but that He has distributed this gift of fore¬
knowledge also to the sea-urchin?

He has left nothing unexplored, nothing unrevealed. He
sees all who nourishes all. He fills all things with wisdom
who, as it is written, ‘has made all things in wisdom.’7 And
so, if He has not neglected the sea-urchin as beyond the
range of His visitation; if He has care of it and moulds it so
as to enable it to see signs of what is to come — if that is true,
has He no care of you and yours? Surely He has, as He
testifies in the words of His own holy Scripture: ‘Look at
the birds of the air’ ; if He feeds them, ‘are not you of much
more value than they’?8 For, if God so clothes ‘the grass
of the field which flourishes today and tomorrow is thrown
into the oven, how much more you, O you of little faith?’9

Chapter 10

(26) Are we to suppose that fish without a special gift of
nature possess also that instinct whereby each species has
allotted to it a definite space which no one species may
leave and into which no other species may enter? What
geometer has plotted the bounds of these habitations, never
at any time to be broken? We have heard of one who has

5 Cf. Job 39.19-25.

6 Cf. Matt. 6.28.

7 Ps. 103.24.

8 Matt. 6.26; Luke 12.28.

9 Matt. 6.30.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

181

measured land, never of one who has applied measurements
to the sea. Yet fish know their own confines, which are not
bounded by city walls, by gates, or by buildings; neither are
they marked as in the boundaries of fields. But each has a
terminal limit of space in accordance with its need, so that
only so much is given to each as to satisfy completely its wants
— not so much as its unregulated greed can claim for itself.

There is, if I may say so, a law of nature that one should
seek only what suffices for nourishment and that the allot¬
ment ‘which thy fathers have set’1 should be in proportion
to the need for food. One species of fish breeds and flourishes
in one arm of the sea; another species, in another. Hence,
you will not find different species of fish mixed together.
What in one place is abundant is, contrariwise, lacking
elsewhere. This bay is the haunt of the cephali. In another
bay we find the sea-wolves. In still another live certain
species of crustaceans. Each is not free to wander as it pleases,
yet the passage is not impeded by intervening mountain
ranges nor by river channels. Rather, by force of habit each
one is by nature constrained to keep itself within the bounds
of its native habitat and to consider suspect a fish that
leaves the regions of its fellows.

(27) But for us, men, there are far different sentiments.
We desire change for various reasons: a wish for travel, for
release from daily associations. We long for the approval of
strangers and to remove the age-long boundaries which our
ancestors have set up, adding estate to estate, household to
household.

The earth alone does not suffice. We use the sea itself for
our foundations. On the other hand, in compliance with
individual whims, the land is excavated and sea water is
brought in so as to form islands or straits for men’s use.2 Men

1 Prov. 22.31.

2 Cf. Horace, Odes 2.18,17-26.

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SAINT AMBROSE

claim the sea for themselves by right of ownership and
boast that they have subjected fishes like slaves to a condi¬
tion of servitude. This, they say, is my bay; that one belongs
to another. Like sovereigns, they divide the elements among
themselves. For some people, oysters are bred in water. For
others, fish are enclosed in a fish pond.

The sea does not suffice for their luxuriant living. They
must have reserve stores of oysters. They keep a reckoning
of the age of each oyster bed. Receptacles are built for the
fish in case the rich man’s table may not be replenished from
the sea. How they are all ears when the word ‘neighbor’ is
mentioned! How eagerly will they gaze on his possessions!
What plans enter their minds day and night to take some¬
thing away from their neighbors! ‘Shall they alone dwell in
the midst of the earth?’ exclaims the Prophet.3 The Lord
is aware of this and waits to punish them.

(28) How alien to the fish is this monstrous greed! Men
seek after what is remote in the realm of nature. They are
familiar with the seas beyond the bounds of the known
world. There no islands intervene, nor are there bodies of
land either in that region or situated beyond that point.
For that reason, in that place where the wide extent of water
precludes every desire to gaze upon it and every sentiment
of boldness to sail thereon for the sake of gain, there the
whale is said to have his lair. There, too, live a huge species
of fish, reported to be mountainous in size by those who
have ventured to approach and see them. This huge fish
lives tranquilly there, remote from islands and uncontam¬
inated by the nearness of port towns. They have their
separate habitats and locations all their own. They are un¬
affected by the presence of neighboring boundaries and do
not desire frequent change of place and to flit aimlessly to

S Isa. 5.8.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

183

and fro.4 Rather, they cherish their habitat as their native
land and consider it a delight to dwell therein.5 They have
selected these regions in order to pass their lives in solitary
fashion, remote from interference and from contact with
other creatures.

(29) There is another species of fish which changes its
location, not because of natural instability, but from the
necessity of spawning. They formulate a plan and design to
reach a certain place at a time of the year which is right and
opportune. Gathering together, as if with joint purpose,
from many places and from diverse inlets of the sea, they
go out in search of the north wind, swimming in massed
array. Impelled, as it were, by a law of nature, they hasten
to their familiar haunts in the northern regions. If you were
to behold this huge school of fish on the move, you would
have the impression of encountering an ocean current — •
such is the force of their onward rush through the waters,
such is their mad desire to reach the Black Sea through the
straits of Propontis.

Who announces these places, who prescribes these seasons
for the fish? Who has arranged their itinerary for them,
their plan for mass movement, their destination, and the
time of their return? Men, of course, have their commanders
whose orders are waited, whose watchwords are agreed
upon, whose edicts are made known to the people of the
provinces for the purposes of assembly, and whose dispatches
are sent to the military tribunes, fixing the day — notwith¬
standing all these preparations, many people find it impossible
to come on the appointed days. What commanding officer
has given the order? What teacher has given this this in¬
struction, what surveyor has plotted the journey, what guide
has led the way, so that no obstacle is encountered?

4 Cf. Lucretius 3.1057.1058.

5 Eccle. 3.2.

184

SAINT AMBROSE

But I am aware of the identity of the Commander, who
by reason of divine dispensation infuses His orders in the
senses of all created things, who, without the use of words,
allows mute animals to follow the directions of natural in¬
stinct. His instruction reaches even to the smallest creatures;
it is not limited to the largest. Fishes follow a divine law,
whereas men contravene it. Fishes duly comply with the
celestial mandates, but men make void the precepts of God.
Because a fish is mute and deprived of reason, is it, therefore,
an object of contempt in your eyes? See to it that you do
not begin to be more contemptible to yourself, if you prove
yourself to be more irrational than the irrational creatures.

What is more rational than this migration of fish, a pro¬
cedure which becomes less intelligible as we recount it than
it is when we look at the facts themselves. They advance in
summer time to the straits of the Black Sea because the water
in this region is sweeter than in others. The sun does not
linger in those waters as long as it does elsewhere. There is
not, therefore, a loss of sweet and drinkable water. Who is
not aware of the fact that marine animals often find delight
in fresh water? Hence it happens that different species of
fish are frequently caught while they are on the way to
spawn in the upper reaches of a river.

This, therefore, may be the reason why they manifest pre¬
ference for the Black Sea. It may well be, too, that the pre¬
vailing north wind tempers the summer heat there. Again,
they select that region as a more suitable one for the task of
bringing up their offspring. Their young, in fact, can
hardly endure exposure to the vicissitudes of a different
climate. The gentle clemency of the climate in that locality
fosters their growth. Accordingly, when their objective is
achieved, all return together to the point from which they
departed.

(30) Let us reflect on the reason for this. The Black Sea

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

185

forms a body of water which is exposed to the north wind
and to other winds of the most violent nature. Hence, when
a severe storm rages and tempests are brewing in that region,
sand is churned up from the deep, as the turbidness of the
water there gives proof. This condition is intensified by the
force of the wind. The water becomes more dense and pre¬
sents, we can be sure, an intolerable situation not only for
sailors, but even for animal life in the sea. An additional
reason is offered by the condition of the Black Sea itself.
Into it flow numerous and mighty rivers. Hence, this body
of water is very cold in the winter season and freezes over,
augmented by the continual inflow. Wherefore the fish,
acting like supreme lords of the waters, seek to take ad¬
vantage of the cooler air there in the summer season. When
they have enjoyed this pleasant temperature, they hasten
back once more in order to avoid the wintry blasts. So they
flee from the bitter weather of the northern regions and take
themselves into other bodies of water where the winds are
kindlier and calmer or where a more temperate sun can
bring spring-like weather.

The fish knows ‘the time to be born.’6 Solomon in his
wisdom declared this to be a great mystery, this knowledge
of the time to go and the time to return, the time for per¬
formance and the time for change. Fish are not deceived
in this knowledge, because they follow an instinct of nature,
the true teacher of loyal devotion, and not the deliberations
of reason and rhetorical argumentation. Hence, all living
creatures have a prescribed time for bringing forth offspring.
By man alone are such times undetermined and ill-planned.
The other creatures seek out a season of clement weather.
It falls to women alone to give birth in seasons of inclemency.
An unsettled and arbitrary desire to produce offspring leads
to an uncertain time for childbirth.

6 Eccle. 3.2.

186

SAINT AMBROSE

Fish cross over so many seas in order to bestow some
benefit on their species. We, too, cross over manifold seas.
But how much more commendable is a voyage which is
undertaken, not for the sake of material profit, but for the
love of one’s offspring! Loyal devotion is the propelling
motive in their case. In our case the motive is commercial
gain. They bring back with them their own progeny, more
precious to them than any kind of merchandise. Urged by
a dire lust for gain, we bring back a cargo that is far from
atoning for the dangers involved. They make an effort to
reach their home, while we abandon it. They, as a result of
their migration, acquire an addition to their species. We,
on the other hand, in the course of navigation are subject
to a decrease.

(31) When we behold this preparation made with such
keenness of instinct for a ritualistic migration to the north for
the production of a numerous progeny, and again when we
note that other marine animals possess such power in their tiny
bodies that they are able to bring to a stop mighty ships
sailing along under full sail, who would then deny that
such an instinct and capacity have been infused in them by
a divine power? We have reference here to a little fish called
echeneis, which is said to slow up without effort a huge ship.
The vessel seems to be adrift and, as it were, rooted in the
sea, for at times this fish keeps the ship motionless. Do you
suppose that this marine animal has such potential power
without the aid of divine intervention?

What shall I say of the sword-fish, the saw-fish, the sea-
dog, the whale, or the hammer-fish? What shall I say of
the turtle which inflicts a sting even when dead? Just as a
person who treads on the still palpitating head of a viper is
said to suffer a more serious injury — in fact, an incurable
wound7— than he would from poison, so, too, a turtle when

7 Cf. Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.190; 10.189.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

187

dead is reported to inflict a more dangerous wound from its
sting than it does when alive. Again, the hare, which is a
timid animal on land, is formidable as a sea animal and
causes infection which spreads rapidly and is not easily
cured. The Creator has so ordained it that not even at sea
are you to be quite safe from lurking perils. Because of these
few harmful creatures you should take your stand like a
sentry on guard, armed always with the weapons of faith and
the shield of devotion, awaiting the protection of your Lord.

Chapter 11

(32) We wish, now, to return to the Atlantic Ocean.
What whales are found there, of huge bulk and measureless
size! If they were to float on the surface of the sea, you
would imagine that they were islands or extremely high
mountains whose peaks reach to the sky! These animals are
said to appear, not on the coast or on shore, but in the
depths of the Atlantic Ocean. To catch sight of them sailors
are enticed to risk navigation within those regions. But these
elemental mysteries are not likely to be faced without ex¬
periencing mortal terror!

(33) Now let us rise upward from the depths of the sea.
Let our discourse emerge a little therefrom and take itself
to higher regions. Let us take note of matters which are
pleasing in themselves and which also have come under the
observation of many people. We hear of water changing into
masses of salt so solid that an axe is frequently required to
cut it. In fact, we do not need to marvel at what is reported
of salt in Britain. This takes on the appearance and the
dazzling splendor of marble itself and, in addition, is a
salutary aid to bodily needs of food and drink. Note, too,
how the not unpleasing coral is only a sea plant which, when

188

SAINT AMBROSE

exposed to the air, becomes solid as a stone. We see how
nature has inserted in the oyster a highly valuable pearl,
which by the action of sea water has become a solid particle
within the oyster’s soft flesh. Wealth which is hardly attain¬
able by kings lies open to common gaze along our shores.
It is found in, and gathered from, rugged rock and cliff.

Water also produces a ‘golden fleece’ and the sea coasts
are the source of a wool which is similar in appearance to
the metal just mentioned. Its color has not been duplicated
up to now by those who apply to woolen goods different
types of dye. For that reason human ingenuity is unable to
compete with the natural products of the sea. We are aware
of the care and attention given to the less costly sheep’s wool.
No matter how perfect it is, under no circumstances do we
find wool that comes naturally dyed. Here is a color that is
natural — a color never yet approached by the application of
dyes. And to think that this [golden] fleece is a fish ! More¬
over, the shell-fish that yields the purple which distinguishes
a king is itself a marine animal.

(34) What delightful scenes in meadow or garden can
equal the prospect of a light blue sea? Your flowers may
flash forth a golden hue, but the wool of the sea has its
golden refulgence, too! Whereas the colors of the flowers
quickly fade, the other retains its hue for many a day ! From
afar we note the lily’s brilliance in the garden. From afar,
too, we see the flashing sails of the ships. A breath of perfume
follows one; a breeze, the other. What use does a leaf supply
to equal the advantage of the commerce of ships at sea?
Lilies give us sweet odors for the pleasure of our senses,
whereas sailing ships bring sustenance for mankind.

Add to this the picture of the flying fish and the frollicking
dolphin. Moreover, there is the additional delight in the
roar of the resounding billows, in the sight of ships flitting to

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189

shore or sailing out to sea. ‘Even as when from the barriers
the chariots stream forth’1 — what an occasion for delight and
enthusiasm on the part of the spectators! Yet, in contrast to
the ships of commerce, the steed runs to no purpose. The
latter, because devoid of cargo, runs in vain.2 The other has
its holds filled with sustenance for men.

What is more to be desired than what is speeded along,
not by the impulse of a whip, but by a breeze, where there
is nothing to hinder one’s progress, where all is favorable,
and where no one who reaches his goal is a loser.3 All the
boats which come to land are given a wreath. The palm is
the prize for a successful voyage and victory is the reward for
their homecoming. What a difference between the outgoing
course and the return ! One shows a cautious pace. The other
is affected by the urge to make the goal. Add to this the
sight of the shore with its line of boats awaiting a breeze
from the skies as a signal for the start. Whereas the charioteer
at the conclusion of his race is granted mere empty applause,
the boatmen take part in giving thanks for their safe return.

(35) How shall 1 adequately speak of Jonas, whom the
whale swallowed to grant him life and to return him to his
activity as a prophet? The water restored to him the under¬
standing which the earth had taken away. He who grieved
when on land began to sing psalms in the belly of the whale.
Again, the redemption of both elements is not lost sight of.
The salvation of the earth had its forerunner in the sea,
because the marvelous act of Jonas stands for that of the
Son of Man. As Jesus lay ‘in the heart of the earth,’4 so was
Jonas in the whale’s belly. There is salvation in both elements.
However, the sea furnishes a more significant example of

1 Virgil, Georgies 1.512.

2 Cf. Ps. 32.17.

3 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 5.268,269.

4 Matt. 12.39.

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piety, since a fish gave welcome to him whom men had
repelled and has preserved, in the person of Jonas, Him
whom men have crucified. Peter, too, weakened when on the
sea,5 but he did not fall. What he had admitted on the
waters, however, he denied on land.6 And so, in the former
occasion he was accorded a hand-clap as to one who was
loyal; in the latter case, because of his forgetfulness, he was
met with a look of rebuke.7

But now let us request the Lord that our words, like those
of Jonas, be cast on the land and not be suffered to float
any longer on the sea. And it was well that the gourd-vine
sprang up so as to shield us from misfortunes. But the earth,
now parched by the advancing sun, warns us to seek rest,
lest our minds begin to suffer from the earth’s heat and our
words, too, may fail us. Be assured that water has been given
to us, more than it was to the Ninevites, as a source for the
remission of sins.8

5 Cf. Matt. 14.30.

6 Cf. Matt. 26.69-75.

7 Cf. Luke 22.61.

8 Cf. Jonas 4.6-11.

THE EIGHTH HOMILY

Chapter 12

He remained silent for a little while and then resumed his
discourse.

(36) We have shied away, beloved brethren, from the
necessity of dealing with birds, and our discussion on this
subject might have taken wing along with the birds! It
follows, somehow, as a natural consequence that those who
hold some object in view or who desire to give expression
to it in words are apt to take on the qualities of that which
they behold or of that which they express orally. The result is
that we linger, when exposed to what is more than usually
inactive, and our observation takes on speed with the swift
action of the object in view. This variability extends, also,
to the area of literary style. Accordingly, at the moment
when I am on my guard lest objects sunk deep in the sea
may escape my observation — at such a moment the entire
race of winged creatures has already escaped my ken. While
I was bent over in diligent examination of the lowest depths
of the sea, I paid no heed to the aerial flights of birds and

191

192

SAINT AMBROSE

not even the shadow of ‘nimble wings’2 flashing in the waters
has caused me to verge from my task.

In fact, when I arrived at the point where I believed that
I had exhausted my subject, and when I felt that I had
completed the fifth day, this reflection came into my mind:
It is customary for the birds at nesting time ‘to charm the
sky with song,’3 in joy that their allotted task is done. This
usually happens, following, as it were, a ritual pattern, at
dawn and at sunset, when the birds sing the praises of their
Creator, at the moment of transition from day to night or
from night to day. By such an omission I would have lost a
mighty incentive for arousing our religious devotion. For
what person of natural human sensibility would not blush
to terminate the day without a ritual singing of the psalms,
since even the tiniest bird ushers in the approach of day and
night with customary devotion of sweet song?

(37) Let us return, therefore, to a discussion of the winged
flock. We have almost lost sight of them as, like eagles they
have taken flight, and hidden themselves amid the clouds.
We realize that our pen should be recalled to the task when
our eyes, laved in the waters, reached from the sea upwards
to the sky and there beheld the birds ‘borne through the
empty air.’4 You who are snarers of my words will act as
judges as to whether they have flown off with better purpose
or whether they have fallen into your nets to add to your
good fortune.

I am not disturbed in my discussion on birds by any
possibility of boredom in your part — a boredom which was
not in evidence when I examined the depths. Otherwise,
some of us would have nodded off during my sermon, only
to be awakened by the song of birds. But I surely have no

2 Virgil, Aeneid 6.15.

3 Ibid. 7.34.

4 Virgil, Georgies 3.109.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

193

doubt that those who kept awake amid the mute company
of fish will be unable to fall asleep when the birds sing, such
is their charm to inspire wakefulness. A subject which might
well have been passed over in our treatment of the third part
of created living beings should not, in fact, be regarded as an
indifferent one. The fact that there are three races of living
creatures those of the earth, the air, and the water — is not
open to doubt. Therefore it has been written: ‘Let the waters
bring forth reptiles, living creatures according to their kind,
and winged creatures, flying over the earth along the firma¬
ment of heaven, each according to its kind.’5

(38) We are recalled to our previous theme like forgetful
travelers who, because they have heedlessly passed their des¬
tination, are compelled to return. He, however, is a good
traveler who makes up for the loss of time involved in re¬
tracing his steps by corresponding speed in the rest of his
journey. I believe that I should act especially in this way
now that I have come to the subject of birds, whose speedy
flight often dazzles the eyes of men.6 Why should one see
fit to linger in those subjects in which swiftness generally
brings pleasure? Let our discussion get on its pathless and
unwonted way of literary composition. Let it resound and
‘ring with the musical song of birds.’7

(39) But where shall I find the swan’s song which gives
us pleasure when sung in moments of grave danger, even to
the point of imminent death? Where shall we find those
strains of natural chant which emanate even from marshy
regions — strains of most tuneful and delightful music? Where
shall I find the voice of the parrot and the sweet song of the
blackbird? Would that the nightingale were to give forth a
song to arouse a sleeper from his slumber! That is the bird

5 Gen. 1.20-24.

6 A Ciceronian expression; cf. De senectute 12.42.

7 Virgil, Georgies 2.328.

194

SAINT AMBROSE

accustomed to signal the rising of the sun at dawn and to
spread abroad joy more penetrating than morning light.
Still, if sweetness is lacking to their song, we have with us
the moaning turtle-dove, the cooing pigeon,8 and ‘the raven
who with deep tones calls down the rain.’9 Wherefore let us
illustrate as far as we can in our discourse the ‘haunts of the
birds’10 in the countryside, relying on the knowledge which
we have garnered from rustic folk.

Chapter 13

(40) Now that we have discussed creeping creatures in
the water, it is a highly difficult task to transfer our discourse
at a moment’s notice upwards to the birds in the sky. Let us,
then, first speak of these birds which frequent the seas and
the rivers. With their aid we can emerge. Accordingly, let
us begin our discussion with the halcyon. This is a sea bird
that is to be found bringing up her young on the shore,
depositing her eggs in the sand about mid-winter. This is the
time allotted for the hatching, when the sea is at its stormiest
and the waves make their most destructive inroads on the
shore. Wherefore the graciousness of this bird should appear
all the more evident because of the periodic and unexpected
recurrence of calm weather, because atmospheric conditions
suddenly take on a milder tinge at the moment when the
eggs are laid, when the sea is still stormy. The stormy blasts
and violent winds subside while the halcyon broods over her
eggs, ‘when the sea was at peace and still.’1 The eggs are
hatched in seven days. At the end of that period the young

8 Cf. Virgil, Eclogues 1.57,58.

9 Virgil, Georgies 1.388.

10 Ibid. 2.430.

1 Virgil, Eclogues 2.26.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

195

brood leaves the protecting shell. At this point there is an¬
other period of seven days, during which the fledglings are
nourished until they grow to maturity. Do not wonder at the
fact that such a slight amount of time is needed for their
growth, because very few days are necessary for the com¬
pletion of the brooding stage. So much significance has been
accorded by divine power to this tiny bird that sailors keep
on the lookout for these fourteen days, which they call
‘halycon days,’ during which they expect calm weather and
dread no more the tumult of the raging tempest.

(41) ‘Are you not of more value than the sparrow?’2
Thus the Lord spoke. If, therefore, at the sight of a tiny bird
the sea rises suddenly and as suddenly subsides, and if in the
midst of winter’s cruel storms and tempests a tranquillity,
permeating all the elements, ‘sweeps the clouds from the sky,’3
quickly calming the waves — if this is true, do you realize,
you, a man made to the image of God, how much hope you
ought to have, if only in your eagerness for a pious life you
would imitate that little bird’s trusting confidence. The
halcyon is not turned aside from her purpose at the sight of
the approaching tempest and of the winds that rage at
winter’s onrush — rather, she is impelled all the more. Hence
she lays her eggs on the shore where the sand, still wet from
the retreating waves, welcomes them. She does not dread
the rising waves, which she beholds as they break on the
shore with threatening sound.

(42) And that you may not conclude that the halcyon
shows slight regard for her eggs, she builds her nest without
delay at the very place where she laid her eggs. She broods
over her offspring and, while the waves pound the shore,
shows no fear for her own safety. Rather, she enstrusts her¬
self to the winds and waves, secure in the beneficence of

2 Luke 12.7.

3 Horace, Odes 1.7.15.

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God. That is not all. Many more days still remain to com¬
plete the period of growth. During this time she has no fear
that the tranquillity of the perfidious sea will be broken.
She relies on her own merits, based now on the regular
pattern of nature. She does not hide her brood in some
secret corner of a house or in a cave. On the contrary, she
entrusts them to the bare, cold ground. She does not protect
them from the cold, but considers that they will be safer with
the comfort of divine warmth, by means of which she may all
other things disdain.

Who is there among us who does not cover his little ones
with garments and who does not protect and shield them
within the walls of his home? Who is there who does not
close the windows on all sides to prevent even the slighest
breeze to enter? And while we so anxiously attend to clothing
and warmth, we are therefore depriving them of the pro¬
tecting cover of celestial clemency, whereas the halcyon, by
casting her brood out naked, has thereby clothed them with
vesture that is divine.

(43) I shall not overlook the diving gulls. They have ac¬
quired that name from their frequent diving operations.
They are always able by their diving to gather signs of the
approach of a wind storm. When they see a threatening
tempest, they quickly ‘fly back from mid-ocean’ and with¬
draw ‘while their screams rebound on the shore’ — to
safety! What shall I say of the waterfowl — a bird that finds
delight in the depths of the sea? Soon he sports in the
shallows, after taking refuge from the sea’s upheaval which
he foresaw. And the heron that is found to frequent the
marshes ‘quits his familiar haunts’ and, fearful of the rain
storms, ‘soars above the clouds’ to escape the storms gener¬
ated in that region. Let us take note of the different varieties
of sea birds, who at the coming of a wind storm take refuge
in marshy regions, where they find a safer and for the

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

197

moment a more pleasant habitation. They rummage round
after their familiar food in some remote corner of the world.4

(44) Who does not marvel at the nightly sentry watches
of the geese, who give evidence of their vigilance by their
constant cackling? That was the way in which they de¬
fended even the Roman Capitol from the Gauls. You, Rome,
rightfully owe to them the preservation of your empire.
Your gods were sleeping, but the geese were awake. And so
on those festal days you perform sacrifices, not to Jupiter,
but to a goose; your gods give way to the geese, who were
once their defenders, as they came to realize. The gods them¬
selves might have been taken prisoners were it not for their
aid.5

Chapter 14

(44) After our description of the various fishes we have
appropriately taken up next in order the subject of those
birds that are also associated with water, in so far as they,
too, in a similar fashion find pleasure in the art of swimming.
Hence these birds seem to be primarily related to the fish
species, since each has a certain element in common, that of
being able to swim. The second elements which fishes and
birds also share lies in the fact that the art of flying is an
aspect of that of swimming. As a fish cuts through the water
in the act of swimming, so a bird ‘cuts the air’1 in his swift
flight. Both species are provided in a similar way with tails
and ‘with the oarage of wings.’2 So the fish directs himself
forward and advances to distant points by the aid of his
wings [fins]. He uses his tail as a rudder in order to guide

4 Virgil, Georgies 1.361,362,364,365; cf. 383,384.

5 Cf. Servius on Aeneid 8.652; see Speculum 2 (1927) 477.

1 Virgil, Georgies 1.406.

2 A Virgilian expression; cf. Aeneid 6.19.

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himself or change his route by a sudden movement from one
area to another. Birds also exercise their wings in the air as
if they were floating on water, using them in the way one
would use one’s arms. By use of their tails they are able to
direct themselves upward or downward at will.

Hence, while all of these species follow the same pattern,
they are but complying with the divine precept that places
the origin of both in water. For God said: ‘Let the waters
bring forth reptiles, living creatures according to their kind,
and winged creatures flying above the earth along the firma¬
ment of heaven, each according to its kind.’3 Not without
reason, therefore, do both species have the innate faculty
of swimming, since both have their origin in water.

(46) While, of course, both the slimy snake and all species
of serpents — who derive their name from the fact that they
creep, not walk- — and the dragon, too, like the general run
of fish are without legs, nevertheless there is no species of
bird devoid of the use of legs. They need to obtain food from
the earth. For this reason they use the support that legs give
as a necessary aid in acquiring their natural food. Accord¬
ingly, other birds like the hawk and the eagle, who live by
plunder, are provided with claws to catch their prey. Others
make fitting use of them in the acts of either walking or of
searching for food.

(47) There is one name for ‘bird,’ but there are various
species. Who can know them all or hold their names in
memory? There are birds, for example, who live on flesh.
Hence, they have sharp claws, a curved and sharp beak, and
are swift on the wing. Thus they live by plunder, and are
able to lay hold of what they pursue, and with their beaks
and claws eviscerate it. There are birds, also, that search for
and find their food in seeds. Others search for different kinds
of food as they come upon them.

3 Gen. 1.20-23.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

199

There is diversity, too, in the way in which they group
together. Those birds that are intent on plunder are devoid
of this tendency. They do not act in common, because of their
rapacity and the necessity of snaring their prey. Hence they
disassociate themselves from groups — for greed avoids par¬
ticipation — moreover, a large flock would easily betray its
own purposes. For birds of this sort there is no group life
except that of conjugal relationship. This is the mode of life
among the eagles and hawks. On the other hand, birds such
as doves, cranes, starlings, crows, ravens, and even thrushes
flock together for the most part.

(48) There are also other species of birds. Some are sta¬
tionary, that is, stay in one place. Others are migratory birds
who fly off to other regions and return at the end of winter.
Still others return to us in winter time and fare abroad in
summer. In the former case they seek a warmer climate in
winter. In the latter case they spend the summer each year
in those places which they know to be pleasanter. Hence
thrushes return at the end of autumn when winter is already
beginning and summer has passed for them. We contrive
snares for them, acting as cruel hosts. We catch them in dif¬
ferent ways, either by surprising them when they land or by
deceiving them by a whistling sound, or by trying ‘to snare
game in toils.’4 The stork returns, holding high the standard
of spring. The crane, because of his partiality for flying high,
often finds delight in voyaging afar.

(49) Some birds submit themselves to be handled. They
are ‘accustomed to the table,’5 and are delighted to be
fondled. Other birds shrink from this through fear. Some
find pleasure in frequenting man’s habitations, whereas others
choose to live in remote deserts, where their difficulties in
procuring food find compensation in their love of liberty.

4 Virgil, Georgies 1.139.

5 Virgil, Aeneid 7.490.

200

SAINT AMBROSE

Some birds utter cries, while others delight us with sweet
and modulated song. Certain birds by nature, others by
training, learn ‘to match the measures’6 of different tones, so
much so that you would think a man, and not a bird, had
spoken. How sweet is the voice of the blackbird; how distinct
the words of the parrot !

There are also other birds; some guileless like the dove,
or artful like the partridge. The cock is inclined to be boast¬
ful; the peacock, to be vain. There are birds, too, that dis¬
play diversities in their lives and habits. Some love to con¬
sult together in groups, thus helping to form by their com¬
bined strength a state of their own under a king.7 Other
birds love to look out, each one for his own interest, avoiding
a systematic rule, and, when captured, long ‘to quit a
slavery’8 that is disdainful to them !

Chapter 15

(50) Let us begin, then, with those birds which have
become examples for our own way of life. These birds have
a natural social and military organization, whereas with us
this service is compulsory and servile. How well do the
cranes carry out their guard duty at night without orders
and without compulsion! You may note the watchers at their
appointed places. Again, while the rest of the flock is at
rest, some make the rounds and make certain that no attack
is attempted from any quarter. With unabated vigilance they
render complete protection. When the watcher has com¬
pleted his period for guard duty, he prepares for sleep, after
arousing with a warning cry the sleeper who is destined to

6 Ibid. 6.646.

7 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 4.212.

8 Virgil, Eclogues 1.41.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

201

take his place as the next sentry. The latter willingly accepts
his lot. He does not act as is the custom with us when, under
such circumstances, we are loath to give up our sleep.
Rather, he rises eagerly from his resting place, performs his
duty, and repays with equal care and courtesy the favors
that he has received. Hence there are no deserters, because
their loyalty is a natural one. Hence their guard duty fur¬
nishes real protection, because their wills are free.

(51 ) They also follow this procedure when in flight. In this
way they alleviate fatigue as they perform in turn the func¬
tion of leadership. At a certain prescribed time one takes, a
position ahead of the rest, in advance of the banners, so to
speak. Later, he turns back and yields to a successor the task
of leading the flock. What is nobler than this, wherein toil
and preferment is open to all, where power is not the privi¬
lege of the few, but is distributed in voluntary fashion equally
among all?

(52) This was the functional process of the primitive
community. It resembled the constitution of a free state. From
the beginning men began in this manner to establish a poli¬
tical system based on nature, with the birds as models. Thus
there was equal participation in both labor and office. Each
individual in his turn learned to set up a division of respon¬
sibilities, to take his share in doing service and in supervising
it. Thus no one was devoid of office and no one was without
his allotment of work.1

Here was an ideal state where no one became accustomed
to unbroken power. Again, no one was intimidated by a long
period of servitude, because advancement, due to inter¬
change of office and to the fitting measure of its duration,
appeared all the more supportable in that it resulted in
establishing that each one would have a share in the task of
government. No one ventured to exact servitude of another

1 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 4.149-196 (bees) .

202

SAINT AMBROSE

when the latter in his term of office could retaliate with
frowns of scorn. Toil was not heavy when the thought of a
dignified office in the future could bring comforting relief.

But when the lust for domination began to arrogate to
itself powers that were acquired, and when this same lust
encouraged unwillingness to relinquish powers that were as¬
sumed, when military service began to take on the character
of servitude rather than of a right shared by all, when men
were more eager to seize power than to follow due process
of law to attain it — when this became a fact, then the per¬
formance of hard tasks was regarded as a burden and what
was not undertaken voluntarily left the way open for displays
of negligence. How unwillingly do men submit to be assigned
to guard duty, how difficult it is to induce anyone to accept
a perilous post in camp, when the vigil is imposed by the
command of a king! Penalties are set for neglect of duty.
Yet, indifference often asserts itself and the sentries fail to
be vigilant. That necessity which imposes obedience on the
unwilling is often accompanied by a loathing, for nothing is
so easy as not to seem difficult to one who acts unwillingly.
Therefore, unbroken toil repels good will. Continuous and
prolonged power breeds arrogance. Where can you find a
man who of his own volition lays down his imperial office,
gives up the insignia of his leadership, and willingly moves
from the first position to take his place among the last?2
Not only do we struggle to reach first place, we are often
concerned even about a position of modest import. We lay
claim to the first position at a banquet and, moreover, we
desire that what has once been assigned to us should be ours
in perpetuity.

On the other hand, the cranes carry out their activities
with equanimity and perform their official duties with humil¬
ity. They are instructed to take up in their turn the post of

2 Cf. Mark 9.34.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

203

watch. No admonishment is necessary that they lay down
their powers. In the former situation the tranquillity of
natural sleep has to be broken; in the latter, an occasion
presents itself to show their pleasure in the performance of
a voluntary act of service.

Chapter 16

(53) It is related that storks proceed in orderly array in
the direction in which they propose to advance and that in
many places in the East they form ranks together as if they
were soldiers marching under the command of an officer.
You could well believe that you were witnessing an army
going forward with banners displayed — such is the pageant
of military precision which they show. They are under the
leadership and direction of crows who accompany them, pro¬
viding a stout escort and auxiliary force against any attack¬
ing army of birds. They undertake at their own risk cam¬
paigns that are planned by others. A proof of this is de¬
duced from the fact that these crows are not found to stay
any length of time in these regions. Moreover, when they
return, they are covered with wounds. Clear evidence of
their having undergone a severe and bitter conflict may be
gathered from what may be termed their cries of blood and
from other indications. Who, then, has set forth for them
the penalty for desertion? Who has laid down the laws of
severe punishment for deriliction of military duty? The fact
is, no one attempts to steal away from the lines of these
friendly escorting troops. On the contrary, each one strives to
outdo his companions in carrying out his allotted task.

(54) Let men learn to preserve the rights of hospitality
arid from the example of birds realize what reverence is due
and what courtesies accorded to one’s guests — courtesies

204

SAINT AMBROSE

which expose crows even to danger. Whereas birds offer even
their own lives for strangers, we close our doors to them.
We ban from our doors those birds who at the risk of peril
to themselves serve as escort to others. Whereas the storks
consider these as their defenders, we frequently treat them as
enemies.

I may be in error, but this may have been the reason why
the people of Sodom suffered punishment or why the fury
of the Egyptians, when they attempted war on the people
who had been their guests, brought its penalty for their lack
of hospitality when the waters overwhelmed that perfidious
race.

(55) We should dwell on the fact that while the gentle¬
ness of human beings is equal to the loyalty and wisdom of
this bird [the stork], none of us have effectively imitated the
virtues of irrational creatures, not even when an example
has been set before our eyes. In fact, the offspring, gathering
around the body of their ‘father sick unto death,’1 cherish
with the movement of their wings the limbs of their parent,
now, because of his advanced age, bereft of his plumage and
deprived ‘of the oarage of his pinions.’2 Furthermore —
need I add — the offspring offer a contribution of food,
wherewith loss of natural strength is repaired, so that, lifting
by the leverage of their wings their aged parent, they make
him fit for flight and restore to strength their dear father’s
limbs, now unaccustomed to perform their primary functions.

Who is there among us who is not loath to lift up the
burden of his ailing father? Who would place his ‘wearied
sire’ on his own shoulders3 — a fact which is scarely credible
when related in history? Who would not rather, to fulfil his
duty, hand this out over to servants? The birds do not
refuse to provide food for their parents. This duty many men

1 Cf. Virgil. Aeneid 12.395.

2 A Virgilian phrase.

3 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 2.596,707,708.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION I FIVE

205

have refused to do even under compulsion of necessity and
when driven by fear of punishment. Birds, on the other
hand, are bound by a natural and not by a written code of
laws.4 By no ordinances, but rather by the prescriptions of
natural grace, they carry unashamedly the body of a revered
and aged parent. This act of carrying one’s parent is, in fact,
an expression of piety. Popular belief has borne witness to it
to the extent that it has acquired, as is fitting, a merited
fame. The Romans are accustomed to call this bird ‘pious’ —
a title which these birds have without exception merited has
been bestowed by decree of the Senate on scarcely a single
emperor. These birds have been accorded this designation
by a decree of their own elders, for it is right that sons be
first declared ‘pious’ by virtue of what their fathers believed.
They also have the approval of all mankind, for ‘thank¬
fulness’ is called dvTiTtEX&pyqan;, a word derived from
TtE^apyoc;, which means a stork. Such is the derivation of
the word denoting this virtue. A repayment for kindness is
associated with the name of the stork.

Chapter 17

(56) We have an example of devotion to parents on the
part of a bird’s progeny. Let us now listen to an impressive
instance of a mother’s solicitude for her children. The
swallow has a very small body, but gives evidence of ex¬
tremely great affection and devotion. Although devoid of all
goods, she constructs her nest as cunningly as if it were a
thing ‘more precious than gold.’1 What wiser act is there
for a bird given to wandering than that she should avail

4 Cf. Cicero, Pro Milone 4.10.

1 Prov. 16.16.

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herself of her liberty and build for her little ones homes near
the abodes of men, where no one would attack her brood?
It is a commendable act to cause her nestlings from their very
birth to become accustomed to human society and thus make
them safer from the snares of their bird enemies. Notable,
too, is the admirable way she, like a skilled artisan, builds her
home without a helper. She gathers twigs in her beak and
dips them in the mire so as to fasten them together. Because
she is unable to lift the mire with her feet, she sprinkles the
tops of her wings with waters so that what before was dry
dust now becomes mud. In this way twigs and straw are
collected and made compact. Thus is the entire nest built.
The nestlings find no obstacles as they busy themselves on
the smooth surface within their little house. At the same
time, no intruder can damage the structure by planting his
feet in an opening. The young ones, too, are not affected
by draughts of cold air.

(57) This industrious activity is common to many birds.
The extraordinary characteristics just mentioned show the
high regard they have for paternal affection and are an in¬
dication of a far-seeing and instinctive knowledge. These
birds give evidence of possessing a medical skill. If any of the
nestlings suffers blindness as a result of an injury to an eye,
its eyes are restored to their former effectiveness by the
application of certain curative agents.

Let no one, therefore, complain of poverty because he has
not provided money for his household. The swallow, who
lacks money, is poorer- — but is rich in industry. She builds and
spends not. She erects a shelter without depriving a neighbor
of anything. She experiences no compulsion to harm anyone,
either because of indigence or poverty. She does not resign
herself to despair when at times her offspring becomes help¬
less. We on the other hand, are affected by poverty and are
made anxious by the urgency of want. Indigence drives

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207

many to evil deeds and offenses. In the pursuit of gain we
turn our minds to deceit and, while fitting our sentiments
to the occasion, we set our hopes in the most violent displays
of passion. In the process our minds snap. We lie prone,
bereft of spirit and life at a time when it would have been
more satisfactory, since the protection of man has failed us,
to place our hopes in the benevolence of God.

Chapter 18

(58) Men should learn to love their children. We find
this to be a normal sentiment among crows, who form a
constant escort to their offspring in flight. Solicitous, too,
lest perchance they may become weak because of their tender
age, they strive to supply them with food. They continue to
perform this function for a long time. On the other hand,
the females of our species quickly give up nursing even those
they love or, if they belong to the wealthier class, disdain
the act of nursing. Those who are very poor expose their
infants and refuse to lay claim to them when they are dis¬
covered. Even the wealthy, in order that their inheritance
may not be divided among several, deny in the very womb
their own progeny. By the use of parricidal mixtures they
snuff out the fruit of their wombs in the genital organs them¬
selves. In this way life is taken away before it is given.

Who except man himself has taught us ways of repudiat¬
ing children? Who has discovered such cruel parental cus¬
toms? Who, notwithstanding the fact that nature imposes
equality among brothers, has casued them to be unequal?
One has a superabundance from his father’s legacy. The
other bewails the fact that he has been given but a miserable
portion of his father’s rich patrimony. Can we say that
nature has thus apportioned the deserts of these sons? On

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everyone she has bestowed on an equal basis the possibility
of possessing wherewith to be born and wherewith to live.
She can teach you not to discriminate in inheritance those
whom you made equal by right of consanguinity. It stands
to reason that those to whom you have granted the right to
be born in the same manner should not themselves be be¬
grudged to have that in common which by nature they have
inherited.

(59) Hawks are said to show harshness toward their own
offspring. They eject them from their nests when they notice
their first attempts at flight. If they still linger, they are
immediately pushed headlong by their parents, who beat
them with their wings and compel them to perform the fear¬
ful action. At no time after that do they perform their
office of giving sustenance to their young. Yet why should
we wonder that birds accustomed to plunder find it dis¬
tasteful to nourish their progeny? Let us keep in mind the
fact that fear schools birds also to be cautious, never to
relax their watchful care, but to anticipate and avoid
dangers from birds of prey. Hence, since nature has inured
these birds to a life of plunder, they appear to prepare their
young from an early age to acts of pillage rather than just
cut short the period of sustenance. Precaution is taken lest they
become flabby in that early period, or become weak through
pampering, or lest they languish in idleness. They are trained
to search for food rather than expect it, so that they may not
lose their innate vigor. Those activities are allowed to elapse
which are connected with the nourishing of the young, who
as a result of this are forced to resort to a life of pillage.

(60) It is generally stated in treatises dealing with the
eagle that she, too, abandons her young. This is true, how¬
ever, only of one out of two nestlings. Some have thought
this situation arose from a reluctance to bring up a twin
brood. But this is hardly worthy of credence, especially since

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

209

Moses has given us such convincing testimony on the de¬
votion of this bird to her young when he said : ‘As the eagle
protects his nest and inspires trust in his nestlings: hovering
over them, he spreads his wings and hath taken them and
carried them on his shoulders. The Lord alone led them.’1
How, then, did he spread his wings over his young if he
killed one of them?

For this reason I think that this bird does not act cruelly
from a desire to refrain from giving nourishment. Rather,
there is a question of making a decision. For it is agreed that
the eagle tests the quality of her young, lest signs of de¬
generacy and deformity may cause deterioration in a species
which affects the role of regal dominion over all birds.
And so it is asserted that the eagle exposes her nestlings to
the rays of the sun and suspends with her claws her young in
mid-air. If one of them stays unruffled and unmoved, fear¬
lessly facing the light of the sun as it strikes his eyes, he is
approved. He has thus demonstrated the truth of nature
by the steadiness of his unaffected gaze. The one, however,
who turns away his eyes, ‘dazzled by the sun’s rays,’2 is
rejected. He is deemed unworthy of such a parent, unfitted
to be recognized as genuine offspring, and hence undeserving
of support. The eagle does not therefore reject her young
because of natural cruelty. This is, rather, the result of her
soundness of judgment. There is no refusal of what is
native, but rather a rejection of what is alien.

(61) What some consider to be a disposition toward
cruelty in such a royal bird is compensated by the kindly
traits of a bird of lower caste. This bird, known as the water-
fowl (the Greek name is 9£VTl), adopts the nestling of the
eagle when disowned or not recognized and allows him to
mingle with her own brood. She exercises over him the same

1 Deut. 32.11.

2 Cicero, De seneclute 12.42.

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maternal care as she does over her own, providing food
and nourishment impartially. The <p£vrj, therefore, supports
an alien brood, whereas we show excessive cruelty when we
abandon our own children. Rather, she does not acknowl¬
edge them to be such, but considers them to be base-born.
Our procedure is worse. We renounce what we acknowledge
to be our own.

Chapter 19

(62) Let us come now to the turtle dove, chosen as a
chaste victim by the Law of God. Hence, when the Lord
was circumcised, the dove was offered, because it is written
in the Law that there should be a presentation of ‘a pair of
turtles or two young pigeons.’1 For this is the true sacrifice
of Christ: chastity of body and grace of the spirit. Chastity
belongs to the turtle dove; grace, to the pigeon. It is related
that the turtle dove, when widowed by the loss of her con¬
sort, was ‘utterly weary of the bridal-bed’ and even of the
world itself, for the reason that ‘her first love, turning traitor,
cheated her by death.’2 He was regarded as unfaithful from
the point of view of perpetuity and as dour in respect to
beauty in that he had created more pain as a result of his
death than sweetness from his love. Therefore, she renounces
any other marriage alliance and does not break the laws of
chastity or her pledges to her beloved, reserving for him
alone her love, for him alone cherishing the name of wife.
Learn, women, how great are the joys of that widowhood
which even birds are said to observe.

(63) Who has given these laws to the turtle dove? A search
for a human law-giver will not bring results. No one has
ventured to propound laws for these birds. Not even Paul

1 Luke 2.24; Lev. 12.8.

2 Virgil, Aeneid 4.17,18 (Dido) .

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

211

has succeeded in doing so in the question as to whether a
widow should remarry or not. He says: ‘I desire therefore
that the younger widows marry, bear children, rule their
households and give the adversary no occcasion for abusing
us.’ And elsewhere: ‘It is good for them if they so remain.
But if they do not have the self-control, let them marry, for
it is better to marry than to burn.’3 Paul wishes that women
should do that which is customary with the turtle doves. Also,
he exhorts the younger widows to marry because our women
are unable to maintain the chaste life of these birds. God
has therefore infused into the turtle dove this sentiment for
the virtuous practice of continency. He alone has the power
to prescribe the laws which all are obliged to follow. The
turtle dove is not inflamed by the flower of youth, is not
tempted by occasional enticements, and cannot break her
first pledge, because she knows how to preserve the chastity
she promised at the time of her first marriage.

Chapter 20

(64) We have spoken of widowhood as it appears in the
life of birds. We have shown how this virtue first arose
among them. Now let us discuss the virtue of continency—
a virtue which birds are said also to possess. This virtue can
be found even among vultures. It is said that vultures ‘do
not indulge in conjugal embraces’ or in any sort of union
or nuptial tie. They are said to conceive without contact with
the male seed and that without the union of sexes they gen¬
erate offspring that live to a ripe old age. In fact, it is as¬
serted that they live as long as a hundred years and that by
no means does ‘the limit of a natural span of life await them.’1

3 1 Tim. 5.14; 1 Cor. 7.8.

1 Virgil, Georgies 4.198, 206 (bees) .

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(65) What do those people say who usually ridicule our
mysteries when they hear that a virgin gave birth to a child
— people who consider that parturition is impossible to one
who never had any relations with a man? Is that to be
thought impossible for the Mother of God which is admitted
to be possible in the case of vultures? A bird gives birth with¬
out contact with a male. No one has cast any doubt on that.
But because Mary, though unwedded, brought forth a child,
they raise doubts about her chastity. Do not our observations
show that the Lord has provided many precedents in the
realm of nature by which to prove the glory of His own
Incarnation and assert its veracity?

Chapter 21

(66) Now I shall proceed to show what birds usually
live under the control of laws in a sort of commonwealth.
From this is derived the fact that the state establishes laws
bearing equally on all citizens — laws which are loyally
observed by all members of the community. No claim is
made to a right which is clearly not permitted to all the
citizens. Rather, each and every member of the group shares
equally in these rights. What is not permitted to every
citizen is not considered a right. All share in paying respects
to their elders, by whose wise counsel the state is governed.
Each one has a right to the common place of abode. Social
duties are shared. They all follow a single prescribed and
orderly mode of life.

(67) These facts are of great importance. In the case of
bees they are even more important. Alone of all species of
living creatures they share their offspring in common. All
have the same abode and are confined within the limits of

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

213

one native land. They engage in the same labor. They share
the same food and partake of the same activities. The same
productivity is shared and- — what could be more notable—
the same flight on the wing. The act of generation is com¬
mon to all. Their bodies are uncontaminated in the common
act of parturition, since they have no part in conjugal
embraces. They do not unnerve their bodies in love nor are
they torn by the travail of childbirth. A mighty swarm of
young suddenly appears. They gather their offspring in their
mouths from the surface of leaves and from sweet herbs.1

(68) They appoint a king for themselves and establish
their own community. Though they serve under a king, they
are free. They have the privilege of selection and of extend¬
ing their loyal devotion. They love him as one elected by
them and they pay him honor by producing a swarming hive.

The king is not chosen by lot, because there is in a lot,
not an element of discrimination, but one of chance. By
virtue of the unpredictable nature of a lot, it frequently
happens that what comes last is preferred to what is better.
The election is not brought about by the vulgar shouts of an
uninformed mob which does not hold in esteem the merits
due to virtue. The mob scrutinizes, not the benefits to be
bestowed by what is serviceable for all, but is swayed by the
incertitude of change. This election, moreover, is not founded
on hereditary privilege or in dynastic succession, since cir¬
cumspection and wisdom cannot exist in one who is so in¬
experienced in public life. Add to this the flatteries and
the inordinate pleasures which, imbibed at an early age,
are apt to weaken men of the best natural endowments.
Then, again, we note the custom of employing eunuchs;
most of them tend to sway the king more for their own
profit than for the public good.

1 Virgil, Georgies 4.197-201.

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There are notable and natural characteristics in the king
as he appears among the bees. He must be, for example,
outstanding in size and beauty. Besides that, he must possess
what is a conspicuous trait in a king — gentleness in character.
He does not make use of his sting to inflict punishment.
There are well-defined laws in nature, not set down in
writing, but impressed in the mold of custom, by virtue
of which those who possess the greatest power tend to be
more lenient in the exercise of it. Those bees who do not
obey the laws of their king are so overcome by remorse that
they even kill themselves by their own stings !

This custom is observed today by the Persians. They in¬
flict death on themselves in punishment for a transgression.
But no people — neither the Persians whose subjects live
under the severest laws nor the Indians or Sarmatians —
hold their kings in such high esteem as do the bees.2 So true
is this that they dare not leave their abodes nor go in search
of food except when the king takes the initiative by assuming
for himself primacy in flight.

(69) They fly over the countryside with its fragrant
gardens and sweetly smelling flowers, where a brook steals
through banks of lush grass. There the young bees find
occasion for spirited sport. There, too, they perform their
martial exercises and find relaxation from labors. Their
toil is sweet. From the flowers and the plants they erect the
foundations for their camps. What is the honeycomb but a
sort of camp? Hence ‘they drive the drones from these folds.’
Does not the square-shaped form of a camp compare
favorably for beauty of construction with the art of the
honeycomb in which tiny rounded cells are interlocked?
What architect taught them how to arrange symmetrically
the walls of these separate cells, how to hang aloft ‘within

2 Ibid. 4.210-212.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

215

the confines of their homes’ delicate pieces of wax — to staff
all this with honey and ‘swell with nectar,’ as it were, their
granaries interwoven with flowers?3

You can perceive them all engaged in their tasks. Some
keep guard over the food supply. Others keep anxious watch
on the camp. Others are on the alert for possible rainstorms
and cloudbursts. Some fashion the wax obtained from
flowers, while still others gather in their mouths the dew that
settles on these same flowers. Yet no one lays snares to pilfer
the fruits of another’s labors or aims ‘to live by plunder.’4
Would that they did not fear the cunning stratagems of
thieves! However, they still can resort to their stings and,
if they should be aroused, infuse poison into the honey.
In the heat of attack ‘they lay down their lives in the
wound.’5

And so into the recesses of their camp abodes the moisture
of the dew is poured. This in the course of time is gradually
transformed into honey. What before was liquid takes on
the sweetness of honey as a result of the infusion of wax
together with the aroma of flowers.

(70) Scripture rightly commends the bee as a good
worker: ‘Behold the bee, see how busy she is, how admirable
in her industry, the results of whose labors are serviceable to
kings and commoners and are sought after by all men.’6
Do you hear what the Prophet says? He enjoins on you to
follow the example of that tiny bee and to imitate her work.
You see how pleasing it is and what labor it entails. Her
fruit is desired and sought after by all men. Its recipients
do not differ in character. It supplies without distinction the
same sweetness to kings and to commoners. It contributes
not to our pleasures alone, but to our health as well. It

3 This entire section reflects numerous passages of Georgies 4.19-169.

4 Virgil, Aeneid. 7.749; 9.613.

5 Virgil, Georgies 4,238.

6 Cf. Prov. 6.8 (on the ant) .

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soothes our throats and ministers to our wounds. Even to
our organic ills it serves as a healing draught. Thus the bee,
though weak in body, manifests her strength in the vigor
of her wisdom and in her high regard for virtuous deeds.

(71) The bees fight, in fact, to their utmost in defense
of their king. They consider it a noble act to give up their
lives for his sake. While the king is safe, they stand by him
with the greatest devotion. When he is lost, their enthusiasm
for their work declines. They destroy their store of honey,
because death has come to the prime mover of their enter¬
prise.7

(72) Although other winged creatures scarcely bring forth
offspring once a year, the bee is blessed with two such
periods, surpassing to such a degree all other [such] creatures
in fecundity.8

Chapter 22

(73) Let us now examine the sense of the words, ‘Let
the waters abound with life and above the earth let winged
creatures fly below the firmament of the heavens.’1

It is clear that ‘above the earth’ is said because they
search for their food on the earth. But why, ‘below the firma¬
ment’? Eagles fly above all other birds, yet they do not
fly ‘below the firmament of the heavens.’ The word for
‘heaven’ in Greek is oupavoq, derived from the Greek word
‘to see,’ for the reason that the air is clear and transparent
and so living species are said to fly through the air. One
should not be disturbed by the phrase ‘below the firmament
of the heavens.’ The word ‘firmament’ is used, not in its
proper, but in its derivative sense. The air which we perceive

7 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 4.212-214.

8 Ibid. 4.231.

1 Gen. 1.20.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

217

with our eyes is, in comparison with that ethereal substance,
the firmament, of greater thickness and density.

(74) Now, having discussed just briefly the nature and
beauty of flying creatures (we do not have time to describe
every creature of the same or similar species), let us con¬
sider what diversity there is among birds themselves.

We find that the crow has talons which are divided and
separated, whereas nature has formed that part differently
in the raven, even in her young. Those birds that feed on
flesh have hooked talons, to enable them to seize their prey.
Those that are accustomed to swimming have feet which are
broad, with their parts bound and joined together by a kind
of membrane. Here we find examples of admirable design
in nature. In one case, flight or the acquisition of food is made
easier. In the other, assistance is given in the art of swim¬
ming, whereby this act, too, is made easier. They use their
feet as oars in such a manner that a current of water is
propelled by the broad formation of the membrane attached
to their feet.

(75) We can easily comprehend why a swan has a rather
long neck. With a body that is somewhat corpulent, the
swan cannot easily reach the lowest depths in search for
food. .Hence, the neck acts as a sort of advance scout for the
rest of the body when on the lookout for food in the deep
waters. This long neck has the additional advantage of giving
a sweeter and more modulated tone to the swan’s cry, which
becomes clearer the more frequently it is exercised.

(76) How sweet is the chant from the tiny throat of a
cicada ! In the heat of midsummer ‘they rend the thickets’2
with their songs. The greater the heat at midday, the more
musical become their songs, because the purer the air they
breathe at that time, the clearer does the song resound.

2 Virgil, Georgies 3.328.

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The bees, too, have a song that is not unpleasant. In that
hoarse voice of theirs is an agreeable sweetness which we
appear to have first imitated ‘in the broken trumpet-blasts.’3
There is no sound more fitting than this to arouse hearts to
vigorous action. Yet they have this curious gift, although
they are said not to possess the function of breathing through
lungs, but to breathe in the air as food. Hence they die
immediately if oil is poured over them, because they are un¬
able to take in that breath of air when their pores are
closed. If one were straightway to pour vinegar over them,
they quickly revive, since vinegar has the power of quickly
opening those pores which had been sealed by the mass of oil.

Chapter 23

(77) Now that we are discussing flying creatures, it may
not be amiss to treat here what is ,reported by certain eye¬
witnesses about the Indian worm. It is related that this
horned worm is first changed into the form of a plant stalk,1
then gradually into a chrysalis. This form is not retained,
for it seems to take on wings when seen on the wide surface
of a leaf. From these leaves the Chinese ‘comb those soft
fleeces’2 which the wealthy appropriate for their own use.
Hence the Lord says: ‘What did you go out to the desert to
see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold, those who
wear soft garments are in the houses of kings.’3

The chameleon is said also to assume new forms by a
deceptive change of color. We know, in fact, from close

3 Ibid. 4.72.

1 St. Basil in his Commentary on Gen. 184D has the correct information
here (caterpillar) .

2 Virgil, Georgies 2.121.

3 Matt. 11.7,81

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

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observation that hares take on a white color in winter and
that in summer they return to their original shade.

(78) These matters have been mentioned in order that
you may be aroused by the force of such examples as these
to a belief in the change which will be ours at the Resur¬
rection. We refer to that change which the Apostle
clearly indicates when he says: ‘We shall all indeed rise,
but we shall not all be changed.’ And further on he says:
‘And the dead shall rise incorruptible and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible body must put on incorruption
and this mortal body must put on immortality.’4 Many,
interpreting the nature and appearance of that transfor¬
mation which they have not attained, are not without giving
it an incongruous explanation, based on an anticipation
which they do not merit.

(79) In the regions of Arabia there is reported to be a
bird called the phoenix.5 This bird is said to reach the ripe
old age of 500 years. When the phoenix realizes that he is
coming to the end of his life, he builds himself a casket of
incense, myrrh, and other aromatic plants, into which he
enters and dies when his time has come. From the moisture
proceeding from his flesh he comes to life again. In the course
of time this bird puts on ‘the oarage of his wings’6 until he
is restored to his primitive form and appearance. By the
very act of his resurrection the phoenix furnishes us a lesson
by setting before us the very emblems of our own resurrection
without the aid of precedent or of reason. We accept the
fact that birds exist for the sake of man. The contrary is
not true: that man exists for the sake of birds. We have
here an example of the loving care which the Author and

4 I Cor. 15.51-53.

5 T he phoenix was considered as an example from nature of the cer¬
tainty of our resurrection: see Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the
Corinthians 25.

6 A Virgilian phrase.

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Creator of the birds has for His own saints.7 These He does
not allow to perish, just as He does not permit in the case
of one sole bird when He willed that the phoenix should
rise again, born of his own seed. Who, then, announces
to him the day of his death, so that he makes for himself
a casket, fills it with goodly aromas, and then enters it to die
there where pleasant perfumes succeed in crowding out the
foul odor of death?

(80) You, too, man, should avail yourself of a casket:
‘strip off the old man with his deeds and put on the new.’8
Your casket, your sheath, is Christ who protects and con¬
ceals you in the day of evil. Do you wish to be convinced that
it is a casket of protection? ‘In my quiver he hath hidden
me,’9 Scripture declares. The casket, then, is your faith.
Fill it with the goodly aroma of your virtues, that is, of
chastity, compassion, and justice, and immerse yourself
wholly in the inmost mysteries of faith, which are fragrant
with the sweet odors of your significant deeds. May your
exit from this life find you clothed with that faith, so that
‘your bones may be made fat’ and ‘be like a watered garden,’10
thus coming to life and flourishing. Be aware, therefore,
of the day of your death, as the Apostle Paul realized when
he said: ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
course, I have kept the faith. There is laid up for me a crown
of justice.’11 Like the good phoenix, he entered his casket,
filling it with the sweet aroma of martyrdom.

(81) I shall put this question before you : Why are
vultures able by certain indications to foretell a man’s
death? Whence have they derived their knowledge? When
two armies face each other in battle array to engage in

7 Cf. Ps. 15.10; Acts 13.35.

8 Col. 3.9,10.

9 Isa. 49.2

10 Prov. 15^30; Isa. 58.11.

11 2 Tim. 4.7,8.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

221

‘tearful war,’12 these particular birds follow in formation as
a sign that a great number of men are destined to fall a prey
to vultures. At any rate, they seem to make this observation
by the exercise of an instinct analogous to human reasoning.

(82) Divine grace has penetrated even into the life of a
locust. When a locust swarms over and takes possession of
some extent of land, no harm at first is done to the land.
Nothing is devoured by these unfriendly invaders except
when a sign from heaven has been received. A passage in
Exodus provides an example of this.13 There the locust as
minister of divine vengeance inflicts punishment for an
offense against heaven.

(83) This animal is devoured in turn by a bird called
oeXeuKlq — this is its Greek name — given to us as a remedy
for the ills that the locust usually inflict. The Creator has
given this bird an insatiable appetite wherewith the all-
devouring plague, to which we have just referred, can be
utterly destroyed.

Chapter 24

(84) But what is this that has happened? While we are
prolonging our discourse, see how the birds of night flit
around us! They admonish us by that very act to put an
end ,to our discourse and at the same time give us a hint that
they, too, should be included. Birds of different species all
fly back to their accustomed nesting places. The coming of
evening compels them to give way to night. Accordingly,
they conceal themselves in their hiding places, saluting the
close of day with a song, lest they depart without offering
such thanks as a creature owes to glorify his Creator.

12 Virgil, Aeneid 7.604.

13 Exod. 10.12-15.

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(85) Night also has its songs wherewith to soothe the
hearts of men who lie awake. The night owl, too, makes a
contribution of song. What shall I say of the nightingale
who keeps long watch over her nest, cherishing her eggs
with the warmth of her body? She solaces with the sweetness
of her song the sleepless labors of a long night.1 The highest
aim of the nightingale, in my opinion, is to give life to her
eggs by the sweet charm of her song no less than by the
fostering warmth of her body. A woman, humble but chaste,2
imitates this bird when she uses her arms to work ‘the in¬
dented millstone,’3 that her little ones may not lack bread
for their sustenance. By her evening song she comforts her¬
self amid the distressing realities of her poverty. In her love
and attentiveness she follows the nightingale’s pattern, al¬
though she fails to match the sweetness of the song.

(86) The night owl is insensible of the horrors accompany¬
ing the gloom of night because of the large yellow pupils
of his eyes. Contrary to the experience of other birds — the
darker the night, the freer the flight of the owl. However,
when dawn with its bursts of light appears, his eyes are
dazzled and he flees aimlessly as if in darkness. The owl
provides us with a lesson that some there are who, although
they have eyes to see, yet are unable to use them.4 They
exercise the function of sight solely in times of obscurity.

I speak of the eyes of the mind which the wise in this
world have and see not.5 They discern nothing in the light.
They walk in obscurity, groping in the darkness of the
demon powers, while they are convinced that they are
looking at the heights of heaven. ‘They trace with a rod’ the

1 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 1.293.

2 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 8.409-413.

3 Virgil, Georgies 1.274.

4 Cf. Matt. 13.13.

5 Cf. Eph. 1.18.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

223

universe,6 taking the measure of the air itself. Nevertheless,
they become more and more involved in the darkness of
eternal sightlessness. Beside them are the daylight of Christ
and the light of the Church, and they see them not. They
open their mouths as if in possession of all knowledge. To
subjects of little value their minds are acute, but to the
eternal verities they are blind. In the prolixities of prolonged
disputation they reveal the obscurity of their own knowl¬
edge. Therefore, while they flit around in subtle discourse,
they act like the night owl by vanishing at the approach of
the light of day.

(87) The bat is an ignoble creature, whose name is taken
from the word for evening.7 They are equipped with wings,
but at the same time they are quadrupeds. They are pro¬
vided with teeth, in this respect differing generally from
other birds. As a quadruped, too, the female brings forth
her young alive and not in the oval stage. Bats fly in the air
like birds but prefer to be shrouded in the dusk of evening.
In flight they do not use the support of wings but rely on
their webbed feet which serve as wings, both as a balance
and as a means of propulsion. These common creatures have
this faculty, too, of adhering one to another, assuming any
position like a pendant bunch of grapes, so that, if the lowest
in place gives way they all fall apart. Here we see the virtue
of love in action — a virtue difficult to find among men here
below.

(88) The cock’s crow is pleasant at nightfall. It is not
only pleasant, but useful, too. As a good domesticated fowl
he arouses the sleeper, gives him warning when he is per¬
turbed, and consoles the voyager by asserting in musical

6 Virgil, Aeneid 6.850.

7 The etymology here is verpertilio ('hat’) from vesper (‘evening’) .

8 Cf. Hymnica Ambrosiana 1 (Aeterne rerum conditor) ; cf. O. J. Knhn-

muench, Early Christian Latin Poets (Chicago 1929) 116; A. S.

Walpole, Early Latin Hymns (Cambridge 1922) 27-34.

224

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tones that night is approaching.8 When the cock crows, the
thief forsakes his schemes and the star of dawn rises to
illumine the sky. When the cock crows, the sailor’s gloom and
trepidation disappear. Tempests and storms stirred up by
gusts of wind at eveningtide subside. At his crowing the
devout of heart bestir themselves for prayer and resume their
reading. Finally, on this occasion ‘the rock of the Church’9
washed away his sin which he had committed before the
cock crowed. At cock-crow hope returns to all, the sick find
comfort, the wounded find relief, the feverish are calmed, the
lapsed return to the faith. Jesus has regard for those who
stumble and corrects the errant. Hence He paid heed to
Peter and forthwith the sin departed. Peter revoked his
denial and his confession was completed.10 That this was
God’s plan and not a mere accident is revealed in the words
of the Lord. It is written that Jesus said to Simon: ‘Before
the cock crows, thou wilt deny me three times.’11

In daytime Peter is quite brave, but is disturbed at night¬
fall. Before cock-crow he falls three times so that you may
realize that his sin was not due to mere thoughtlessness, but
to an emotional disturbance. The same man became braver
after the cock crowed. He became worthy of Christ’s regard,
for ‘the eyes of the Lord are upon the just.’12 He realized
that remedial action had come, following which he was
unable .to sin. He turned aside from the ways of error to
those of virtue and wept bitterly.13 He washed away his
sins with his tears.

(89) Have regard, Lord Jesus, for us, also, that we may
acknowledge our errors, efface our faults with tears of devo¬
tion and merit indulgence for our sins. And so we have

9 Peter; Matt. 16.18.

10 Cl. Luke 22.61,62.

11 Matt. 26.34.

12 Ps. 33.16.

13 Matt. 26.75.

SIX DAYS OF CREATION : FIVE

225

purposely prolonged our discussion in order that the cock
may come also to us as we speak. Wherefore, if any error
has obtruded itself in our speech, we pray that Christ forgive
our sin. Grant us the tears of Peter. Deliver us from the
sinner’s exultation.

The Hebrews wept and were liberated when the waters
of the sea divided. Pharao was glad because he had sur¬
rounded the Hebrews, but he was swallowed up in the sea
along with his people. Judas, too, rejoiced in the price of
betrayal, but by reason of the same price ‘he hanged himself
with a halter.’14 Peter wept for his sins and deserved to be
able to forgive the sins of others.

(90) But now it is fitting time15 that this discourse be
brought to an end — a time for silence or for tears, a time in
which is celebrated the forgiveness of sins. For us, too, in
our holy rites that mystical cock crows, as the cock of Peter
did in our discourse. May Peter, who wept so well for him¬
self, weep also for us and may the benign countenance of
Christ turn toward us. Let there come upon us the Passion
of the Lord Jesus which daily forgives us our sins and effects
the office of remission.

(91) The good Lord does not desire to send you away
fasting lest some faint on the way. He said: ‘I have com¬
passion on the crowd for they have now been with me three
days and have nothing to eat and I am unwilling to send
them away fasting lest they faint on the way’16 — Mary took
note of these words on the occasion when she declined to
make preparations for a meal.17 We, too, should realize the
fact that those who live on the word of God18 are not
numerous and that refreshment for the body is what is more

14 Matt. 26.14; 27.5.

15 Holy Thursday.

16 Matt. 15.32.

17 Cf. Luke 10.39,40.

18 Cf. Matt. 4.4.

226

SAINT AMBROSE

generally desired. In fact, more exacting than the triduum
(which we have celebrated) is that which we propose for
the day that approaches.

(92) And so, now that we have enjoyed ourselves with
birds and have crowed with the cock, let us sing the mysteries
of the Lord. Let the eagles,19 when they have been re¬
juvenated,20 gather by the body of Jesus, for now the mighty
whale has really restored Jonas to us.21 Let us congratulate
ourselves that evening has come. The morning shall become
— the sixth day!22

19 Cf. Luke 17.37; Matt. 24.28.

20 Cf. Ps. 102.5.

21 Jonas 2.11.

22 Cf. Gen. 1.31.

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BOOK VI: THE SIXTH DAY

THE NINTH HOMILY

Chapter 1

| his is the sixth day, which brings to a close the
account of the origin of created things and at the
same time terminates the discourse which we have
undertaken on the genesis of matter.1 This day calls for even
greater expenditure of toil, because we have reached a critical
point: the culmination of the whole debate. We must realize
that during the preliminary stages of contests in music, song,
or sport, however numerous and important they may be, there
is no award of a wreath of victory. This presentation of a
wreath for victory is assigned to the last day. On that occasion
the expectant decision is reached, together with the shame
or the reward which either defeat or victory brings. In such
a mighty contest of wisdom as this in which every man, not
just a few, acts as judge, how much more is there occasion
for anxiety lest we fritter away the toils of the preceding days
and suffer mortification in the present. The praetor does not
face the same conditions as the singer or the athlete. In the

1 Cf. Lucretius 2.31,383 ( exordia rerum) .

227

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228

SAINT AMBROSE

latter case there is a sporting chance of misadventure,2 in the
former, an error may have serious results. If, in one instance,
you make an error the spectators are censorious; in the other,
the audience.

(2) Stand by me, therefore, as judges of the prize of vic¬
tory. Enter with me into this mighty and wonderful theater of
the whole visible creation. Not slight is the service rendered
to strangers by one who watches for their arrival with the
intent to conduct them on a tour around the city and to point
out to them the more notable monuments. How much more
ought you to welcome one who, as I do, conducts you in
this assembly by the guiding hand of my discourse through
your own native land and who points out to you each and
every species and genus, with the desire to show you from
all these examples how the Creator of the universe has con¬
ferred more abundant benefits on you than on all the rest
of His creatures. It is for you, therefore, that the wreath is
designed. It is my wish, with your express consent, to award
to you today the crown of victory. We do not demand merely
the garlands that athletes win which are destined at length
to fade, but the lasting judgment of your probity, by which
you are able to discern the truth that Divine Providence per¬
meates all creatures. While you share with the rest of creatures
your corporeal weakness, you possess above and beyond all
other creatures a faculty of the soul which in itself has nothing
in common with the rest of created things.

Chapter 2

(3) Now let us turn our discussion to the origin of beasts
and to the generation of men. I already hear some who
murmur and say: how much time are we to spend discussing

2 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 5.328-330.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

229

matters alien to us, while knowing nothing of what really
concerns us? How long are we to learn of other living creatures
while we do not know ourselves? Let him tell me what is
to be for my benefit, that I may know myself. That is a just
complaint. The order which Scripture laid down must, how¬
ever, be retained. We cannot fully know ourselves without
first knowing the nature of all living creatures.

(4) ‘Let the earth,’ says Scripture, ‘bring forth all kinds
of living creatures, quadrupeds and crawling creatures and
beasts of the earth and cattle and all manner of reptiles ac¬
cording to their kind. And God made the beasts of the earth
and every kind of cattle and every kind of creature that crawls
on the ground. And God saw that it was good and God said :
let us make man.’1 I am not unaware of the fact that certain
men treat of the race of beasts and cattle and crawling crea¬
tures as symbolical of the heinousness of sin, the stupidity of
sinners, and the wickedness of their designs. I adhere, how¬
ever, to the belief that each and every species is uncom¬
pounded by nature.

(5) 1 am not afraid that someone may in his mind compare
me to a presumptious but poor host who, in his eagerness
to be kind, invites many people to dinner. He sets before
them nothing but the most common and ordinary food, so
that he provokes criticism from his guests for the meanness
of his service instead of being the recipient of gratitude for
his generosity.

The friends of Eliseus did not accuse him of being a poor
host when he placed wild herbs before them.2 There exists
that luxurious and delicately prepared banquet, hardly worthy
of our notice, in which pheasants and a species of turtle are
placed on the table, while chicken is actually what is served.
A chicken is offered, stuffed with oysters or shell-fish. Wine

1 Gen.. 1.20-24.

2 4 Kings 4.39-43.

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230

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is drunk which from its bouquet seems to be of one kind, but
from its taste seems to be of another. Food derived from the
sea is stuffed with products of the land and those of the land
with what is derived from the sea. We call into question in
this way the providence of the Creator who has granted all
these things for our sustenance without, however, mingling
them one with another. At first sight, such a mixture seems
pleasing. Afterward, it turns out to be bitter, for the more
luxurious is our mode of living, the more ruinous and intem¬
perate it becomes. Eliseus served bitter herbs which afterwards
became sweet. Hence, those who thought that the food was
of a deadly nature found it later to be sweet and life-giving.

(6) Again, there is no occasion for concern that I might
have invited more people than I can possibly provide with
food and that the bread of my discourse may not be sufficient
for you all. We cannot attain to the perfection of faith exem¬
plified in the case of Eliseus, who was not disturbed by the
small amount of bread in his possession. It was his wish and
intention to distribute it among all in sufficient amount. Ac¬
cordingly, he instructed his servant to divide among the
people the ten barley loaves. And his servant said: ‘How
much is this to set before a hundred men?’ Eliseus replied:
‘Give that they may eat for thus said the Lord ; they shall eat
and there shall be left.’3 And I do not fear that your situation
may make you ravenous. You have had your fill, yet you are
returning home both hungry and empty, for it is written:
‘The Lord strengtheneth the just and in the days of famine
they shall be filled.’4

To be unashamed to offer loaves of barley and to give what
you have rather than to withhold hospitality is a much more
commendable act. While he gave to the people in abundance,
Eliseus left nothing for himself. Eliseus, therefore, was not

3 Ibid.

4 Ps. 36.17,19.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

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ashamed to serve barley bread, whereas we find it shameful
to have understanding of simple created things, which are
called by their simple and customary names. When we read
of ‘heaven,’ we should understand this to mean what it says.
When we read of ‘earth,’ we should understand the fruit¬
bearing earth.

(7) What concern has the measurement of the circum¬
ference of the earth for me? Geometers estimate it to be 180
stadia. I gladly admit that I do not know that of which I am
ignorant or, rather, that I am aware knowledge of this sort
would not be of profit to me. Better than knowledge about
the extent of the earth is knowledge about the concrete things
in it. How can we grasp the dimensions of that which is sur¬
rounded by a sea, which is broken up by regions inhabited by
barbarans, and by the many areas where the soil is marshy
and impossible to traverse?

Scripture points out what is impossible for men, for God
declares: ‘Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of
his hand and weighed the heavens with his palm and the
bulk of the earth in his hand? Who hath weighed the moun¬
tains in scales and the rocks and the groves in a balance?’
And further on: ‘Who sitteth upon the globe of the earth,
and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts, who stretcheth
out the heavens as an arch?’5 Who, then, ventures to put his
knowledge in the same plane with that of God? Does man
presume to offer that in the way of knowledge what God has
sealed with his own oracular and majestic pronouncements?

(8) Surely, Moses was skilled in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians. Yet he welcomed the Spirit of God. As His min¬
ister he preferred the way of truth to that vain and self-styled
philosophical system. He laid down for us what he considered
suited to our hopes, namely, that God made the earth, that
the earth, produced plant life and all kinds of animal life

5 Isa. 40.12,22.

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232

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at the command of almighty God and by the operation of
the Lord Jesus.

But he did not think that he should discuss how much
atmospheric space is occupied by the shadow of the earth,
when the sun recedes from us and takes away the light of
day that illuminates the lower regions of the world. He did
not discuss how the lunar orb is brought into eclipse in this
part of the world, since in his account these phenomena were
passed over as of no significance to us. Moses saw that there
was no place in the words of the Holy Spirit for the vanity of
this perishable knowledge which deceives and deludes us in
our attempt to explain the unexplainable. He believed that
only those things should be recorded which tend to our sal¬
vation.

Chapter 3

(9) Let us keep close to the meaning of the prophetical
words. Let us not hold in disdain as unworthy of our consid¬
eration the language of the Holy Spirit, who says: ‘Let the
earth bring forth alive cattle, beasts and crawling creatures.’
What is the need of further argument, since it is evident that
the natural origin of terrestrial creatures is in question? The
Word of God permeates every creature in the constitution
of the world. Hence, as God had ordained, all kinds of living
creatures were quickly produced from the earth. In com¬
pliance with a fixed law they all succeed each other from age
to age according to their aspect and kind. The lion generates
a lion; the tiger, a tiger; the ox, an ox; the swan, a swan; and
the eagle, an eagle. What was once enjoined became in nature
a habit for all time. Hence the earth has not ceased to offer
the homage of her service. The original species of living crea¬
tures is reproduced for future ages by successive generations
of its kind.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

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(10) Do you wish to turn the creatures that have been
generated to the profit of man? You will all the more ac¬
comodate creatures to man’s pleasure if you will not deny
to all creatures what is appropriate to their natures. In the
first place, nature has designed that every species of cattle,
beast, and fish has its belly extended, so that some crawl on
their stomachs. You may observe that even those animals that
need the. support of legs are, by reason of their four-footed
motion, part and parcel of the earth and thus lack freedom
of action. They have, in fact, no ability to stand erect. They
therefore seek their sustenance in the earth, solely pursuing
the pleasures of the stomach toward which they incline.

Take care not to be bent over like cattle. See that you do
not incline — not so much physically as they do, but morally.
Have regard for the conformation of your body and assume
in accordance with it the appearance of loftiness and strength.
Leave to animals the sole privilege of feeding in a prone
position. Why, contrary to your nature, do you bend over
unduly in the act of eating? Why do you find delight in what
is a violation of nature? Why do you feed on the things of
the earth like cattle, intent on food both day and night?
Why do you dishonor yourself by surrendering to the allure¬
ments of the body, a slave to the whims of appetite? Why
do you deprive yourself of the intelligence with which the
Creator has endowed you? Why do you put yourself on the
level of the beasts? To dissociate yourself from these was the
will of God, when He said: ‘Do not become like the horse
and the mule who have no understanding.’1

If the voracity and intemperance of the horse and his
whinrty of pleasure directed toward the mare give you delight,
you should also find pleasure ‘with bit and bridle to bind
fast your jaws.’2 If you revel in ferocity, the dominant trait of

1 Ps. 31.9.

2 Ibid.

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SAINT AMBROSE

savage beasts for which reason they are slain, see that you,
too, may not become a victim of your own atrocious cruelty.

(11) The donkey is a slothful and stupid animal, an easy
prey to all mischance. What is the lesson that this animal
conveys? Is it not that we should become more alert and not
grow dull from physical and mental inactivity? Why not,
rather, take refuge in a faith which tends to lighten our
heavy burdens?

(12) The wily fox hides away in pits and caves. Is not
this proof that the animal has no purpose? Because of his habit
of plundering he deserves our hatred and warrants our aver¬
sion for his total lack of caution while laying snares for his
victims.

(13) The partridge is cunning in that she steals the eggs
of another partridge and fosters them with her own body.
But she is unable to profit from this, because she loses the
brood as soon as she has hatched it. When these hear the
voice of the partridge who has laid the eggs, they leave their
adopted nest and, following a natural instinct, go to her whom
they recognize as their true and natural mother. In this way
they indicate that the function of a nurse is totally different
from that of a mother. Thus, she performs her own proper
labors in vain and pays the penalty of her own deceit. Hence
Jeremias says: ‘The partridge uttered a cry and gathered
what she did not lay,’3 that is, she gathered the eggs and gave
forth a cry as if rejoicing at the effect of her own deceit. But
she spends her labor in vain. Her prolonged period of brood¬
ing benefits another and not herself.

The Devil imitates this bird in his endeavor to lay claim
to the generations of the eternal Creator. If he succeeds in
bringing together a group lacking in wisdom and devoid of
sound sense, he allures them with corporeal enticements. As
soon as the voice of Christ reaches the hearts of the little

3 Jer. 17.11.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

235

ones, they depart and take themselves to their mother, who
embraces her young with an endearing mother’s love.4 The
Devil did not create the Gentiles, but he gathered them in.
When Christ in His Gospel sent forth His message, they
eagerly fled so as to be under the protection of the shadow
of His wings. He consigned them to the fostering care of
Mother Church.5

(14) The lion, proud in the fierceness of his nature, will
not brook mingling with other wild animals. Like a king, he
disdains association with them. He scorns the food of the
previous day. He turns away even from the fragmentary re¬
mains of his meal. What wild beast would venture to associate
with him whose roar of itself inspires such terror that many
animals who could outrun him will quail on hearing it, as if
struck dumb by some strange force.

(15) Scripture is also not silent about the nature of the
leopard. By the varied character of his coat he betrays the
variety of his emotions. Jeremias says: ‘If the Ethiopean
can change his skin or the leopard his spots.’6 This is not
said merely of what is external. It refers, also, to changes in
the fierce nature of the animal. The Jewish people, whose
characters were spoiled because of the gloomy and uneasy
fluctuations of their hearts and minds, could not attain the
grace of good purpose. Once they had acquired the fierce
character of a wild beast, they were unable to return to a
better and improved mode of life.

Chapter 4

(16) There is in the nature of quadrupeds something which
the language of the prophetical books exhorts us to imitate.

4 Ct. Matt. 23.37.

5 Cf. Ps. 16.8.

6 Ter. 13.23.

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We should follow their example and avoid slothfulness. Neither
because of size nor bodily weakness should we desist from our
eagerness to carry into effect the lofty aims of a virtuous life.

The ant is a tiny animal, yet she ventures to achieve things
beyond her strength. She is not driven to labor as a slave is.
Rather, without compulsion and with freedom of foresight,
she lays up provision for a future day. Scripture admonishes
us to imitate the industry of the ant: ‘Go to the ant, thou
sluggard, and consider her ways and be wiser than she.’1 She
has no land under cultivation. Yet, without a taskmaster to
urge her on as she looks after her stock of food, what a harvest
has she in store for herself — a harvest gathered from the results
of your labors! While you may frequently be in need, she
wants for nothing. There are no granaries closed to the ant,
no guards impassable, no stores of grain untouchable! The
guard sees and dares not prohibit the theft. The owner gazes
on his loss and exacts no punishment! Over the plain moves
the dark column. The paths are aglow with the concourse of
voyagers and particles of grain which cannot be seized by their
narrow jaws are heaved along by their shoulders !2 The owner
of the crop beholds all this and blushes to refuse such trifles
to co-operative industry such as this!

(17) What shall I say about dogs who have a natural
instinct to show gratitude and to serve as watchful guardians
of their masters’ safety? Hence Scripture cries out to the un¬
grateful, the slothful, and the craven: ‘Dumb dogs, not able
to bark.’3 To dogs, therefore, is given the ability to bark in
defense of their masters and their homes. Thus you should
learn to use your voice for the sake of Christ, when ravening
wolves attack His sheepfold. Have the word ready on your
lips, lest, like a silent watch-dog, you may appear because of

1 Prov. 6.6.

2 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 4.402-407.

3 Isa. 56.10.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

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your unfaithfulness to abandon the post entrusted to you.
Such a dog was the friend and companion of an angel. Not
without reason did Raphael in the prophetic book cause this
dog to accompany the son of Tobias when he went on a jour¬
ney, in order to drive out Asmodeus and thereby confirm the
marriage. The demon is driven out as the result of a grateful
recognition and the union is stabilized.4

And so, under the symbolism of a dumb animal, the angel
Raphael, as director of the young man Tobias whom he had
agreed to protect, was able to arouse sentiments of gratitude
in him. Who would not feel shame if he did not return thanks
to those who are well deserving of it, when he sees that even
beasts shun the sin of ingratitude? These animals hold in
grateful memory the sustenance they have acquired. Are you
not mindful of the salvation you have received?

(18) Although ‘a bear lies in wait,’ as Scripture says5 — •
for she is a wild beast full of deceit — when she finds her young
at the moment of birth to be formless, she immediately pro¬
ceeds to lick them with her tongue until they become like her
in form and shape. Do you not marvel that a wild animal
should show such devotion with her tongue, an animal whose
inherent nature is manifested by love for her young? The bear,
therefore, forms her young into the likeness of herself. Are
you not competent to train your sons, so that they, too, may
become like yourselves?

(19) What shall we say about the bear and the art of
medicine? She knows, in fact, how to heal herself when suffer¬
ing from the effects of a serious wound. She lies under a plant
called by the Greeks ‘flomus’e and touches it with her open
sores, which are thereby healed.

Serpents, too, are able to rid themselves of blindness by

4 Cf. Tob. 6.1; 3.8; 8.3; 11.8.

5 Lam. 3.10.

6 Mullein.

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238

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eating the fennel plant. Accordingly, when they feel their
eyesight becoming weaker, they search for their familiar
remedy and are not disappointed in its results.

When tortoises, after eating the entrails of a serpent, feel
the poison circulating through their bodies, they have recourse
to a plant called marjoram in an effort to find a cure. Even
when they lie concealed in their lairs in the marshes, they
instinctively seek for a curative antidote. By this assured cure
they attest that they know the efficacy of plants. You may
observe that foxes, too, heal themselves with resin from a pine
tree. By making use of such a remedy they postpone the time
of imminent death.

(20) The Lord gave utterance to these words in the book
of Jeremias: ‘The turtle and the swallow and the sparrows of
the field observed the time of their coming, but my people have
not known the judgments of the Lord.’7 Swallows know the
time of their coming and of their return. These dutiful birds
know how to announce the signs of spring by the testimony
of their arrival.

Ants also keep watch for the coming of sunny weather.
When they notice that their store of food remains soggy be¬
cause of rain storms, a careful exploration is made of atmos¬
pheric conditions to determine when a series of warm days
should arrive. Then they release the food supply, which is
carried out of their hiding places to be dried by prolonged
exposure to the sun. For that reason you will never experience
stormy weather during that whole period of time, except
when it should, in the interval, happen that the ants have
changed their minds and decided to restore their supply of
food to their granaries.

Sheep, at the approach of winter, browse on grass with an
appetite that is insatiable. They have a presentiment of the
coming of inclement weather. For this reason they proceed to

7 Jer. 8.9.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

239

fill themselves to satiety before vegetation dies from the effects
of bitter frost.

Hedgehogs, commonly called iricei, on sensing the approach
of danger, ‘gather themselves behind their shields’8 so that
anyone who has in mind to harm them may be wounded by
their prickly armor. In anticipation of eventualities, these
animals are provided with two organs of respiration. For
example, then they sense the coming of northerly winds, they
close the aperture open to the north. When they note that
‘the clouds have been cleared away by the south wind,’9 they
turn toward the north so as to avoid the harmful breezes com¬
ing from the opposite direction.

(21) Hence, the Prophet rendered praise worthy of the
Lord when he said: ‘How great are thy works, O Lord.
Thou hast made all things in wisdom.’10 The divine wisdom
penetrates and fills all things. Far more conviction is gained
form the observation of irrational creatures than from the
arguments of rational beings. Of more value is the testimony
given by nature than is the proof presented by doctrine.
What animal does not know how to look after his own safety
— by offering resistance where force is necessary, by flight or
by watchfulness where speed or cunning is called for? Who
has instructed them on the curative powers of herbs? Human
beings are often deceived by the appearance of herbs. Fre¬
quently, we discover those to be noxious which we had con¬
sidered to be salutary. How often has death crept into repasts
that were delicious! How frequently has death-dealing food
penetrated even past the watchers and servants of the palace
halls to bring death to kings! Wild beasts, merely by the
sense of smell, are able to discern what is beneficial and what
is harmful. They feed on the plant without the intervention

8 Virgil, Aeneid 10.412.

9 Horace, Odes 1.7.15,16.

10 Ps. 103.24.

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240

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of lackeys or food-tasters and receive no harm! Nature is a
better guide and teacher of what is actual and true. She
inspires into our senses the perception of what is sweet and
health-giving and needs no director. She, too, instructs us how
to avoid the bitterness of that which brings ultimate pain. The
sweetness of life is set against the harshness of death.

Nature entrusts to the lioness the care of her whelps.
Maternal affection makes gentle the savagery of the beast.
Nature checks for the moment the ferocity of the tigress and
turns her aside as she is on the point of seizing her prey. The
minute she discovers that her young have been taken, she sets
out on the track of the despoiler. Although he may have the
advantage of a fast horse, he is aware that he may be outdone
in speed by the wild beast. In a situation where there is avail¬
able no means of escape he has to resort to the following
stratagem. When he perceives that he is being overtaken, he
lets fall a glass ball. The lioness is deceived by her reflection,
thinking that she sees there her young. After being retarded
by the deceitful image, she once more expends all her strength
in her effort to seize the horseman. Spurred on by rage, she
comes closer and closer to her fleeing victim. Again he throws
out the glass ball, thus slowing down his pursuer. Yet her
remembrance of past deceits does not prevent her from com¬
plying with her maternal instincts. She keeps turning over the
reflected image that deludes her and settles down on it as if
to nurse her young. Thus, deceived by her own maternal soli¬
citude, she suffers at once the forfeiture of her vengeance and
the loss of her offspring.11

(22) We have here the message of the Scriptures which
declares: ‘Children, love your fathers; parents, do not provoke
your children to anger.’12 Nature has implanted in beasts the
instinct to love their own brood and hold dear their own

] 1 Cf. Claudian, De raptu Proserpinae 3.263ff.

12 Col. 2.20,21.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

241

progeny. They know nothing of relations-in-law. Here, parents
do not become estranged from their offspring by the act of
changing their consorts. They know nothing of preferences
given to children of a later union to the neglect of those of a
former marriage. They are conscious of the value of their
pledges and are unaquainted with distinctions in respect to
love, to incentives due to hate, and to discriminations in acts
that involve wrong-doing. Wild creatures have a nature that
is simple and one which has no concern in the perversion of
truth. And so the Lord has ordained that those creatures to
whom He has bestowed a minimum of reason are endowed
with the maximum of feeling.

What wild animal would not willingly face death in de¬
fense of her young? What wild beast, although exposed to
countless armed men advancing ‘in wedge formation,’13 would
not protect with her own life’s blood her own progeny? With
her body she sets up a wall of stout defense around her little
ones, so that they are immune from peril in the midst of
‘a harvest of spears’?14 What has man to offer — he who pays
no heed to what is enjoined on him and is oblivious to the
dictates of nature? A son despises his father; a father disin¬
herits his son. An occasion when a man’s own progeny is
condemned to death is regarded as an act of justice. A father
actually passes judgment on himself by treating his own child
as something without real substance. An act in which nature is
punished with sterility is considered to have the sanction of
authority.

(23) That dogs are devoid of reason is beyond all doubt.
Nevertheless, if you consider the keenness of their senses, you
can well believe that their sagacity of sense perception has
taken on the trappings of reason. Hence, one can easily per¬
ceive that they are able to understand, by the training given

13 Virgil, Aeneid 12.575.

14 Ibid. 3.46.

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242

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by nature, what it has taken a few individuals a long period of
time to achieve with the aid of the refinements of syllogistic
argumentation acquired in the advanced schools of rhetoric.
When they discover the tracks of a hare or of a stag at a
point where there is a side path or a crossroad leading in
several directions, they proceed to make note of the starting
point of each of these trails. In silence, they weigh the prob¬
lems one with the other. By applying their keenness of scent
they seem to make the following observation: ‘Our quarry
has gone either in this direction or in that,’ they say, ‘or surely
he has fled into this clearing. Yet he has not taken this route
or that. One direction remains. There is no reason, therefore,
to doubt that he has taken this route.1 What men, with the
aid of prolonged discussion and meditation, achieve with
difficulty nature readily supplies to dogs, who weigh first the
false hypothesis and when that is repudiated finally discover
what is true.

Is it not true that philosophers spend whole days setting
forth problems on sand, ‘tracing with a rod’15 each proposition
one by one? Since it must be that of three propositions only
one is true, these men first eliminate two of these as not in
conformity with truth. And so they conclude that the essence
of truth is found in the proposition that remains.

Who is as mindful of benefits and as grateful for kindness
as the dog? For their masters’ sake they go so far as to leap
on robbers and to keep off strangers prowling at night. They
are prepared, too, to die in defense of their masters and even
to die with them! Dogs have often been the means of con¬
victing people accused of homicide by showing clear evidence
of the crime committed. Reliance is made in many cases on
their testimony.

(24) It is related that in the early morning in a remote
part of the city of Antioch a man who had a dog as a com-

15 Ibid. 6.850.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

243

panion was found slain. The killer was a certain soldier bent
on robbery. In the dusk of the morning hours he was able
to find refuge in another region. The body lay unburied and
attracted a crowd of bystanders. The dog bewailed with
mournful cries the loss of his master. It happened that the
man who committed the murder, in order to assure his inno¬
cence and make himself secure by his presence — such is human
astuteness — joined the circle of people and with the air of
displaying sympathy approached the corpse. At that moment
the dog relinquished his whine of distress and assumed the
role of avenger. He attacked him and held him prisoner. Rais¬
ing a pitiful cry after the manner of an epilogue in a speech,
the dog brought tears in the eyes of everyone present and
inspired trust in his testimony. This man alone of all the men
present was seized and held fast. The man thereupon became
alarmed. He was unable any longer to deny his guilt. Such a
clear indication of his offense could not be made void by pleas
of hate, enmity, ill-will, or of injury inflicted. Since he had not
succeeded in his master’s defense, the dog in this case under¬
took a more difficult role, that of avenging him.

What meritorious act do we do for our Creator, on whose
bounty we live? We close our eyes to insults against God
Himself. Often, too, we set before the enemies of God food
which we have received from His very hands.

(25) What animal is more innocent than the lamb? We are
accustomed to make an analogy between lambs and our own
little children. It often happens that in a large flock a lamb
decides to wander over the whole sheepfold, roaming in search
of his mother. When she on her part is unable to find her
lamb, she attempts to discover his whereabouts by bleating
frequently. By this means she hopes to cause him to give an
answering cry whereby he could direct back ‘his truant foot¬
steps.’16 Although he has wound his way among thousands of

16 Virgil, Eclogues 6.58.

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244

SAINT AMBROSE

sheep, he still recognizes the voice of his parent. He hastens
to his mother and finds his way to the familiar sources of his
mother’s milk. Notwithstanding the lamb’s eager desire for
milk, he passes by other udders heavy with milk. These udders,
in fact, may overflow with milk, yet he persists in searching
for his mother. The depleted store of his mother’s udders
means just full abundance. She, too, can distinguish her off¬
spring among the many thousands of lambs. In outward ap¬
pearance they are the same. One can find no differences in
the sound of their bleating. The mother picks out her own
progeny from the rest of the flock. She recognizes her brood
by the sole testimony of parental love. Whereas the shepherd
may err in making his selection, the lamb cannot make a
mistake in recognizing his mother. The shepherd is deceived
by appearances, but a sheep is guided by natural affection.
To all appearances, each one has the same odor, yet nature
provides for them the power of distinguishing a scent which
their own progeny, by I know not what peculiar potency,
alone gives forth.

( 26 ) Nature has her own customs and her own innate in¬
stincts. Scarcely has the infant got his first teeth when he is
able to test his own arms. The puppy does not yet have his
teeth, yet in defense he acts as if he had. The deer is not yet
provided with horns, yet he practices and butts with his head,
threatening with weapons with which he is not furnished. A
wolf takes away a man’s power of speech by first staring at
him. The wolf despises this man over whom he is victorious by
reason of his loss of speech. On the other hand, if a wolf per¬
ceives that he has been seen first, he loses his fierce character
and is unable to run away. A lion is in dread of a cock,
especially of one white in color. A she-goat when wounded
searches for a plant called dittany and by this means rids her¬
self of arrows. Wild animals, too, have instinctive knowledge
of suitable remedies. A sick lion searches for an ape which,

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

245

when devoured, restores him to health. To a leopard the
blood of a wild she-goat serves as an antidote against physical
weakness. A sick bear devours ants. A deer chews the branches
of an olive tree.17

(27) Wild animals know, therefore, what is beneficial to
them, whereas you, man, have no knowledge of your remedies.
You do not know how to snatch power away from your ad¬
versary, so that he, like a wolf taken by surprise, is unable to
escape. You are unable by the eye of your mind to outwit
his treacherous designs, to obstruct his flow of speech, and
dull the edge of his impudent display of rhetoric. If he comes
on you by surprise, he will deprive you of your power of
speech. If dumbness comes upon you, loosen your foot-gear in
order to loosen your tongue. If a wolf should attack you, pick
up a rock — and he turns in flight ! Christ is your rock. If you
find refuge with Christ, the wolf will take flight and not terrify
you. This is the rock which Peter, when he hesitated on the
water, sought for and found, because he held on to the right
hand of Christ.18

(28) Why do I need to mention the fact that men are fond
of garlic and use as a food a substance which the leopard
avoids? Hence, as soon as a person gets ready to prepare garlic,
a leopard, who is unable to tolerate it, is apt to leap forth
from that region. To think that you use for food and infuse
into your vitals a substance19 whose very odor a ferocious
wild beast cannot endure ! But it serves as medicine for those
in pain. Let it be used as medicine, then, for invalids and not
as food for banqueters. You have in mind to procure a drug,
but you shun fasting as a restorative, as if you could find
another remedy as efficacious as that ! A serpent suffers death
after tasting the sputum of a man who is fasting. You see,

17 Much of this lore is found in Pliny, Historia 'naturalis 8 and 10.

18 Cf. Matt. 14.30,31.

19 Cf. Horace, Epodes 3.5.

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246

SAINT AMBROSE

then, what potency there is in fasting, when a man can kill
a serpent with his own sputum. If this is true of an earthly
being, how much more true is it of the realm of spirit!

( 29 ) How great is the wisdom which the Lord has infused
even into little creatures ! The turtle-dove covers her nest with
onion sprouts to prevent wolves from attacking her fledglings.
She knows that wolves usually shun these sprouts. The fox
knows how to protect her own young, whereas you are ignorant
of the means to do so. Why are you heedless in not making
provision against the onslaughts of the iniquitous wolves of the
spirit by providing greater security for the life which will
follow this?

Chapter 5

(30) But let us return to the creation of different species
and reflect on the reason why the Lord formed some beasts,
such as lions, tigers, and bears, with shorter necks, whereas
other animals, such as elephants and camels, were created
with longer necks. Do we not find clear reason for this in the
fact that animals which are carnivorous do not need long
necks? They bend down their necks and jaws to the earth in
the act of feeding. They use them for waylaying a deer or for
dismembering an ox or a sheep. On the other hand, the
camel, a taller animal, would be unable to feed on the smallest
plants unless in the process of feeding he was able to extend
his long neck to the ground. Accordingly, to the camel there
has been allotted a neck that is longer in proportion to his
stature. This is true, also, in the case of such herbivorous
animals as the horse and the ox.

(31) The elephant, too, has a prominent trunk; otherwise
he would be unable, because of his surpassing size, to reach
the ground in order to find pasturage. He therefore makes use
of this trunk in his search for food. Through it this monstrous

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

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beast imbibes huge quantities of water. This trunk is hollow
and capacious. In the effort to satisfy his thirst this huge
beast empties entire troughs. Thus he inundates himself within
with rivers of water. In fact, his neck is smaller than the
massive size of his body demands, so that it may serve a
useful function and not be an encumbrance.1 For the same
reason the animal does not bend his knees. In order that such
a mighty contrivance be held in balance, there is need that
his legs be like columns of a more than ordinary rigid char¬
acter. The extremities of his feet are slightly curved, but the
remaining parts of his legs are rigid throughout from top to
bottom. Such a huge beast cannot bend his knees as we do.
Naturally, therefore, he does not share with the rest of
animals the ability to bend over or lie down. In order that
without danger to himself he may sway a little in his sleep,
he is supported on both sides by what may be called huge
beams, inasmuch as he has no articulated joints in his limbs.
For elephants that are tame a type of support has been con¬
trived by men who are expert in this work. For the wild and
untamed there is certainly an element of danger in the fact
that no provision has been made for such supports.

(32) Elephants actually make use of trees either for
scratching their sides or for relaxation in sleep. These trees
are sometimes bent or broken by the weight of such a body,
which causes the animals to fall headlong. Being unable to
raise himself up, he lies there and dies. He may be discovered
by his cries of pain, as he exposes the softer parts of his body
to wounds and death. Weapons cannot easily penetrate his
back and the other harder parts of his body. Hunters in search
for ivory prepare the following scheme to trap these animals.
From the trees which the elephant makes use of they cut away
a small section on the sides opposite those which generally

1 Cf. Sallust, Bcllum Jug. 14.4-

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248

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served his purpose. The trees subjected to this pressure
cannot sustain the weight of the elephant’s limbs and become
the immediate cause of his downfall.

(33) To find fault with these facts is like finding fault
with the height of buildings which often threaten to fall head¬
long and are with difficulty restored. But if we frequently raise
these aloft for the sake of artistic beauty or to serve as watch-
towers, we ought to approve of this, too, in the case of ele¬
phants, because they perform a useful service in time of war.
The Persians, for example, a race of fierce warriors, are noted
for their expertness in archery and in similar arts. They ad¬
vance in battle array surrounded by what appear to be mov¬
ing towers, from which they shoot their weapons. When shot
from a higher position these do more execution against the
enemy below. In the center of the battlefield the combat seems
to be concentrated around a rampart, citadel, or watch-tower,
where the entrenched warriors appear to be spectators of the
war rather than participants in it. They seem to be so remote
from danger behind the protective bastion of the beasts. Who
would venture to approach them, when he could be hit by
a weapon from above or be annihilated by the onrush of the
elephants from below? As a result, the battle line with its
battalions drawn up in wedge formation gives way before
them. The camping grounds which were laid out in blocks of
squares have completely vanished. The elephants attack the
enemy with a force that is irresistible. They cannot be held
back by any embattled array of soldiers with massed shields.
They take on the appearance of mountains moving in the
midst of the battle. Conspicuous with their high crests and
emitting a loud trumpet sound, they inspire fear in everyone.

What avail are feet or strength of muscles or manual
dexterity to those who have to face a moving battlement
packed with armed men? What use is his steed to the horse-

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

249

man? Driven by fear at the hugeness of this beast, his horse
flees in panic ! What can the bowman do against such an
onslaught, although the armored soldier may not be affected
by a rain of arrows directed from above? Moreover, the
beasts’ hides, even when unprotected, are not easily penetrated
by a weapon. Protected by this armor, they cut their way
through and overwhelm the opposing masses of men without
any risk of danger to themselves.

(34) As in the case of huge buildings, we see that elephants,
too, are supported by foundations of unusual strength. Other¬
wise, they would totter in a brief space of time because of
lack of comparable sustaining power in their extremities. We
are told nowadays that elephants live 300 years or more — a
fact that corresponds to the hugeness of their bodies. And so
their limbs are all the more sturdy because they are compact,
not disjointed as ours are. How frequently it happens that our
knees and feet cause us suffering, if we have been standing
a long time or have been running at too high speed or after
prolonged walking. Limbs that are jointed and articulated are
more subject to pain than those which are compact and solid.

(35) And no wonder that elephants, when equipped with
arms, are an object of fear. Actually, they always present an
armored front, with their tusks acting as a natural spear!
Whatever they take hold of they break into pieces with their
trunks and whatever they trample on they annihilate — such
is the force of their onrush ! To provide themselves with food
they take possession of whole groves. Like huge dragons they
involve with their serpentine folds whatever they waylay.
Often, their trunks take on a circular form when in the act
of eating or drinking. We have here a proof that nothing
created is superfluous. Yet this huge beast is subject to us and
complies with our commands.

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250

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Chapter 6

(36) Inasmuch as we propose to discuss the nature of man,
it is fitting that, by way of preface, something be said that
reflects credit on him.

There appears to be no creature which has more physical
strength or by its size inspires more terror than an elephant.
No animals are as fierce as the lion and the tiger. Yet these
beasts serve the interests of man and as the result of man’s
training lay aside their natural instincts. They forget their
innate propensities and assume those which are imposed on
them by command. Why need I say more? They are taught
as if they were children. They cringe like weaklings and are
lashed like timid creatures. They are corrected as are those
subject to us and assume our habits since they have lost their
own peculiar impulses.

(37) Wonderful, therefore, is the work of nature in both
great and little things, for ‘wonderful is the Lord on high.’1
Just as we admire the level plains no less than we do the
high moutains, so we marvel no more at the height of the
cedar than we do at the fruitfulness of the vine or of the
modest olive tree. In like manner, I admire the elephant for
his hugeness no less than the mouse for the fact that he
inspires the same elephant with terror.

Nature, theiefore, has the power of causing fear in certain
aspects and of being fearful in others. Each and every creature
is endowed with certain characteristics which are their special
mainstay. The elephant is a formidable object to a bull, but
is fearful of a mouse. The lion, king of beasts, is disturbed
by the slight sting of a scorpion and dies from the bite of
poisonous serpent. The lion has extraordinary beauty as he
shakes his mighty mane and raises his head on high. Yet, who
does not marvel at the fact that huge bodies are subject to

1 Ps. 42.4.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

251

death from a scorpion’s slight sting — so slight as to be without
substance?

(38) Let no one impugn the work of the Creator of ser¬
pents. He has, in fact, exposed His creatures to all other kinds
of poisons, either animal or vegetable. These have come into
being for our correction, not for our destruction. As a matter
of fact, that which is an object of terror either to the cowardly,
the weak, or the godless is a source of usefulness for others.
A tutor, for example, seems severe, harsh, and unyielding
toward his charges. He is unsparing with the whip, tames
their boisterousness, and exacts their obedience. He surrounds
them with fear, so that he may curb their boyish spirits. As
a result of this severe treatment they turn out to be virtuous,
temperate, and restrained, more eager for commendation than
for sport. Do you not see how these fear-inspiring whippings
are able to serve a good purpose?

Thus, serpents act as scourges for those whose pronounced
character is immature and infantile, whereas no harm can
come to the robust. The following words were meant for him
who trusted in the Lord: ‘You shall tread upon the asp and
the viper; you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.’2
Paul was bitten by a viper. It was believed that he, being a
sinful man scarce rescued from shipwreck, would soon die of
poison. Because he shook off the viper from the fire and still
suffered no harm, the onlookers regarded him with more
veneration.3 Addressing all men, the Lord says:4 ‘He who
believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not
believe shall be condemned.’ And He said these signs shall
attend those who believe : they shall fondle serpents, yet can¬
not suffer harm from these nor from the drinking of any
deadly thing. A man’s lack of faith is more to be feared

2 Ps. 90.13.

3 Cf. Acts 28.3-6.

4 Mark 16.16; cf. 17,18.

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252

SAINT AMBROSE

than poisonous serpents. Have fear of these, therefore, so that
the occasion of your dread may at least lead you to faith. But,
if you have no fear of God, then beware of the avenging
poison of perfidy.

(39) Now, since you behold both lions and elephants
subject to you, recall to mind, man, that the saying ‘know
thyself’ is not something emanating from Pythian Apollo, but
from Solomon, who says: ‘If thou know not thyself, fairest
among women.’ Furthermore, long before this time Moses
wrote in Deuteronomy: ‘Keep thyself.’5 The Law says: ‘Man,
keep thyself.’ And the Prophet says: ‘If you know not thyself.’
To whom does he say these words? He adds: ‘Fairest among
women.’

What constitutes the beautiful among women if not the
soul, an outstanding attribute in both sexes? Not without
reason is the soul comely, since it longs, not for the things of
earth, but for those of heaven; not for the corruptible, but
for the incorruptible, the beauty of which is not liable to
perish. All corporeal things, on the other hand, suffer decay
either in the march of time or because of the inroads of
disease. ‘Keep thyself,’ says Moses, in that in which you form
a totality — that in which the better part of you consists. Hence,
the Lord explained your nature when He said: ‘Beware of
false prophets,’6 for they cause your soul to weaken and your
mind to totter. Thus, you are not flesh alone. What is flesh
without the guidance of the soul and the vigor of the mind?
We put on the garment of flesh today and tomorrow it is
laid aside. The flesh is temporal, whereas the soul is lasting.
Like a garment for the body, such is flesh for the soul. You
are not, therefore, a garment, but one who puts on a garment
for use. And so you are told to ‘strip off the old man with

5 Cant. 1.7; Deut. 4.9.

6 Matt. 7.15.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

253

his deeds and put on the new’7 — you who are renewed not
in the quality of the body, but in the spirit and affirmation
of the mind.

Flesh you are not, I repeat. It is not said of the flesh: ‘For
holy is the temple of God and this temple you are.’ And
elsewhere: ‘You are the temple of God and the Spirit of
God dwells in you,’8 that is to say, in those who have had
a new birth and in the faithful in whom the Spirit of God
dwells. It does not dwell among the carnal, for it is written:
‘My spirit shall not remain in these men forever, because they
are flesh.’9

Chapter 7

(40) But let us consider the precise order of our creation:
‘Let us make mankind,’ He said, ‘in our image and likeness.’1

Who says this? Was it not God who made you? What is
God: flesh or spirit? Surely not flesh, but spirit, which has
no similarity to flesh. This is material, whereas the spirit is
incorporeal and invisible.

To whom does He speak? Surely not to Himself, because
He does not say: ‘I shall make,’ but ‘let us make.’ He does
not speak to the angels, because they are servers, and servants
cannot have a part in a work along with their Master and
Creator. He speaks, rather, to the Son, although the Jews are
unwilling to accept this and the Arians object to it. But let
the Jews preserve silence and let the Arians with their pro¬
genitors be mute, who, while they exclude One from sharing
in the divine work, introduce more participants and grant
to underlings a privilege which they deny to the Son.

7 Col. 3.9,10.

8 1 Cor. 3.17,16.

9 Gen. 6.3.

1 Gen. 1.26.

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254

SAINT AMBROSE

(41) But suppose that God appears to you to have need
of the assistance of servants in His work. If God operates in
conjunction with the angels, have God and the angels a
common ‘image’? Would He say to the angels: ‘Let us make
mankind in our image and likeness’? Listen to the Apostle
who tells us who is the image of God: ‘Who has rescued us
from the power of darkness and transferred us into the king¬
dom of the Son of His majesty in whom we have our re¬
demption and the redemption of our sins, who is the image
of the invisible God and the first-born of every creature.’2 He
is the ‘image’ of His Father who always is and was from the
beginning. Hence it is the ‘image’ who says: ‘Philip, he who
sees me sees also the Father.’ And again, although you behold
the living ‘image’ of the living Father: ‘How canst thou say,
show us the Father? Dost thou not believe that I am in the
Father and the Father in me?’3

The ‘image’ of God is virtue, not infirmity. The ‘image’ of
God is wisdom. The ‘image’ of God is He alone who has said :
‘I and the Father are one,’4 thus possessing the likenesss of
the Father so as to have a unity of divinity and of plenitude.

When He says ‘let us make,’ how can there be inequality?
When, again, He says ‘to our likeness,’ where is the dissi¬
militude? So, when He says in the Gospel: ‘I and the Father.’
there is no reference to one sole person. But when He says:
‘We are one,’ there is no distinction either in divinity or in
operation. Both, therefore, do not have one person, but one
substance. Well did He add: ‘We are,’ because the divine
essence is eternal. So, then, He whom you would consider un¬
like the Father is co-eternal with Him! He is eternal of whom
Moses spoke: ‘I am who am.’3 Fittingly, too, there preceded

2 Col. 1.13-15.

3 John 14.8-10.

4 John 10.30.

5 Exod. 3.14.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

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the words: ‘I and the Father.’6 If He had mentioned the
Father first, you would consider the Son to be lesser. But He
mentioned the Son first, then — as it is not fitting that the Son
be above the Father — He added the Father, so that you may
note that between the Father and Son there is no precedence
of rank.

(42) ‘Attend to thyself alone,’7 says Scripture. In fact, we
must distinguish between ‘ourselves,’ ‘ours,’ and ‘what sur¬
rounds us.’ ‘Ourselves’ refers to body and soul. ‘Ours’ are the
members of our bodies and our senses. ‘What surrounds us’
consists of our money, our slaves, and all that belongs to this
life. ‘Attend to thyself,’ therefore, ‘know thyself,’ that is to
say — not what muscular arms you have, not how strong you
are physically, or how many possessions or power you have.
Attend, rather, to your soul and mind, whence all our delib¬
erations emanate and to which the profit of your works is
referred. Here only is the fullness of wisdom, the plenitude
of piety and justice of which God speaks — for all virtue comes
from God: ‘Behold, Jerusalem, I have painted thy walls.’8
That soul of yours is painted by God, who holds in Himself
the flashing beauty of virtue and the splendor of piety. That
soul is well painted in which shines the imprint of divine
operation. That soul is well painted in which resides the
splendor of grace and the reflection of its paternal nature.
Precious is that picture which in its brilliance is in accord
with that divine reflection.

Adam before he sinned conformed to this image. But after
his fall he lost that celestial image and took on one that is
terrestial. Let us flee from this image which cannot enter the
city of God, for it is written: ‘In thy city, O Lord, thou shall

6 John 10.30.

7 Deut. 4.9.

8 Isa. 49.16.

9 Ps. 72.20.

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256

SAINT AMBROSE

bring their image to nothing.’9 An unworthy image does not
enter there; no sooner does it enter than it is excluded, be¬
cause we read : ‘There shall not enter into it anything common
nor he who practices abomination and falsehood.’10 He in
whose forehead is written the name of the Lamb will find
entrance there.

(43) Our soul, therefore, is made to the image of God.
In this is man’s entire essence, because without it man is
nothing but earth and into earth he shall return.11 Hence, in
order to convince you that without the soul the flesh is nothing,
Scripture says: ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul.’12

Why, then, do you presume in the flesh, you who lose
nothing when you lose the flesh? Rather, be fearful lest you
be deprived of the aid of your soul. ‘What will a man give in
exchange for his own soul?’13 In this is no slight part of him¬
self — in fact, it is the substantial part of the entire human
race. This is the means by which men lord it over other living
things, wild beasts, and birds. Your soul is made to the image
of God, whereas your body is related to the beasts. In one
there is the holy seal of imitation of the divine. In the other
there is found base association with beasts and wild animals.

Chapter 8

(44) But let us define more accurately the meaning of the
phrase, ‘to the image of God.’ Is it true that the flesh is
made ‘to the image of God’? In that case, is there earth in
God, since flesh is of earth? Is God corporeal, that is to say,
weak and subject like the flesh to the passions? Perhaps the

10 Apoc 21.27.

11 Cf. Gen. 3.19.

12 Matt. 10.28.

13 Matt. 16.26.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION I SIX

257

head may seem to you to be made in the likeness of God be¬
cause it stands aloft, or the eyes because they observe, or the
ears because they hear? As to the question of height, are we
to consider ourselves to be tall just because we tower a little
over the earth? Are we not ashamed to be thought of as like
to God merely because we are taller than serpents or other
creeping creatures or even than deer, sheep, or wolves? In
that respect, how much taller are elephants and camels in
comparison with us! Sight is important to us in order to
enable us to behold the things of the world and to have knowl¬
edge of what is not reported by any person, but is grasped by
our sense of sight. How significant, in fact, is this power of
sight! Because of it we may be said to have the likeness of
God, who sees all, observes all, comprehends our hidden
emotions, and searches into the secrets of our hearts!’1

Am I not ashamed to admit that it is not in my power to
see parts of my body? What is in front of me I can see, but
I am unable to see what is behind me. I have no view of
my neck or of the back of my head and I cannot see my loins.
In like manner, what avail is our sense of hearing if we
cannot either see or hear what is only a short distance away?
If walls should intervene, both sight and hearing are impeded.
Furthermore, our bodies are fixed and enclosed in a narrow
space, whereas all wild animals have a wider range and are
also swifter than men.

(45) The flesh, therefore, cannot be made to the image
of God. This is true, however, of our souls, which are free
to wander far and wide in acts of reflection and of counsel.
Our souls are able to envisage and reflect on all things. We
who are now in Italy have in mind what seems to pertain
to affairs in the East or in the West. We seem to have dealings
with men who dwell in Persia. We envision those who have
their homes in Africa, if there happen to be acquaintances of

I Cf. Rom. 8.27; 1 Cor. 14.25.

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258

SAINT AMBROSE

ours who enjoy the hospitality of that land. We accompany
these people on their departure and draw near to them in
their voyage abroad. We are one with them in their absence.
Those who are separated far from us engage us in conver¬
sation. We arouse the dead even to mutual interchange of
thoughts and embrace them as if they were still living. We
even go to the point of conferring on these people the usages
and customs of our daily life.

That, therefore, is made to the image of God which is
perceived, not by the power of the body, but by that of the
mind. It is that power which beholds the absent and em¬
braces in its vision countries beyond the horizon. Its vision
crosses boundaries and gazes intently on what is hidden.2 In
one moment the utmost bounds of the world and its remote
secret places are under its ken. God is attained and Christ is
approached. There is a descent into hell, and aloft in the sky
there is an ascent into heaven. Hear, then, what Scripture
says: ‘But our citizenship is in heaven.’3 Is not that, therefore,
in which God is ever-present made to the likeness of God?
Listen to what the Apostle says in that regard: ‘We all, there¬
fore, with faces unveiled, reflecting as in a mirror the glory
of God, are being transformed into his very image from glory
to glory, as through the Spirit of the Lord.’4

(46) Now that we are convinced that the soul is made to
the likeness of God, let us take up the question as to whether
the statement ‘let us make man’ can be said of the soul.
Give ear to the words of Scripture, where in Genesis the word
‘soul’ is used for man: ‘And the sons of Joseph that were
born to him in the land of Egypt, two souls. All the souls of
the house of Jacob that entered into Egypt were seventy.’5

2 Cf. Sallust, Bellum Jug. 12.5.

3 Phil. 3.20.

4 2 Cor. 3.18.

5 Gen. 46.27.

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Appropriately enough, the soul is called homo in Latin and
avGpcoixoq in Greek, the former being derived from ‘human¬
ity’ and the latter from a word associated with the lively faculty
of ‘seeing,’6 a faculty which has more kinship with the soul
than with the body. This agrees well with what is said in
the Lamentations of Jeremias: ‘The Lord is good to them
that support him, to the soul that seeketh him.’7 He made
reference to men and thought it necessary to add ‘soul.’ God
preferably seeks after the soul when it is alone, thus disso¬
ciating Himself from the slime of the body and from the
cupidity of the flesh.

The soul, then, is made to the image of God, in form like
the Lord Jesus. Those men are saints who are conformed to
the Son of God. So we read in the Apostle Paul: ‘Now we
know that for those who love God all things work together
unto good, for those who, according to His purpose, are
saints through his call. For those whom he has foreknown
he has also predestined to become conformed to the image
of his Son, that he should be the first-born among many
brethren. And those whom he has predestined, them has he
also called and those whom he has called, them he has also
justified, and those whom he has justified, them he has also
glorified.’8 I request a reply to the question: Is justification
bestowed on you in terms of the body or of the soul? But
there can be no doubt about the answer, since justice, from
which justification is derived, is naturally a mental, not a
physical, quality.

(47) Man has been depicted by the Lord God, his artist.
He is fortunate in having a craftsman and a painter of dis¬
tinction. He should not erase that painting, one that is the
product of truth, not of semblance, a picture, expressed not in

6 From the supposed connection between ops and the last two sylla¬
bles in anthropos.

7 Lam. 3.25.

8 Rom. 8.28-30.

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260

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mere wax, but in the grace of God. I speak, also, of women.
They erase that painting by smearing on their complexion a
color of material whiteness or by applying an artificial rouge.
The result is a work not of beauty, but of ugliness; not of
simplicity, but of deceit. It is a temporal creation, a prey to
perspiration or to rain. It is a snare and a deception which
displeases the person you aim to please, for he realizes that
all this is an alien thing and not your own. This is also
displeasing to your Creator, who sees His own work oblite¬
rated. Tell me, if you were to invite an artist of inferior
ability to work over a painting of another of superior talent,
would not the latter be grieved to see his own work falsified?
Do not displace the artistic creation of God by one of mere¬
tricious worth, for it is written: ‘Shall I take the members
of Christ and make them members of a harlot?’9 By no means!

He commits a serious offense who adulterates the work of
God. It is a serious charge to suppose that man is to be pre¬
ferred to God as an artist! It is serious, indeed, when God
has to say this about you: ‘I do not recognize My colors or
My image, not even the countenance which I have made.
What is not Mine I reject. Take up your abode with him who
has painted you. Seek your favors from him to whom you
have given payment.’ What will be your reply?

(48) If it is a serious matter to adulterate the work of
God, what shall we say of those who slay the work of God,
who shed human blood and take away the life that God
has granted? They say: ‘Let us take away the just because
he is useless to us.’10 Hence we read today in the Gospel:
‘The foxes have dens and the birds of the air have nests
wherein to rest; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his
head.’11 So the fox hides himself in a den and the birds protect

9 1 Cor. 6.15.

10 Wisd. 2.12.

11 Matt. 8.20.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

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themselves in their nests. Man, however, does not hide himself
in a den — rather, he is beguiled. The mouth of man is a den,
and a deep den, too, is the heart of man where injurious and
deceptive counsels and thoughts of evil reside.

You make preparations to take a walk while another man
is setting a trap for you. ‘You are going in the midst of
snares’12 which your enemies have planted secretly in your
way. Make careful observations, therefore, so as not to be
trapped in a net like a deer or in a snare like a bird. The
deer avoids the net by the keenness of his vision. The bird
escapes the snares by surveying the territory from a point
aloft. No one plants his net or conceals his snare up there.
And so, one whose ‘citizenship is in heaven’13 is not likely to
be captured like a bird of prey.

And why do you wonder at man’s deception of man when
the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head? In fact, He
has purposedly made man to be such that He could find
therein a place to rest His head. But when our neighbors find
no repose in our hearts, but traps and snares therein for our
fellow men, to whom we ought to give help, then Christ
turns His head away from us — this head which He was so
willing to offer on our behalf even to the point of death!
Do not expose yourself, therefore, to deceitfulness, cruelty
and unkindness, so that there may be occasion for Christ to
rest His head on you.

(49) Moreover, He did not find rest when He had created
such irrational creatures as fish and the various species of
wild beasts. He found rest, however, after He had made man
to His own image. Give ear to Him as He states on whom
He finds rest: ‘Or on whom shall I rest but on him that is
humble and gentle and that trembleth at my words?’14 There-

12 Eccli. 9.20.

13 Phil. 3.20.

14 Isa. 66.2 (Septuagint) .

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fore, be humble and gentle, so that God may find rest in your
affection.

He 'who does not find his rest in the beasts of the field
will much less find repose in his bestial heart. There exist
minds of bestial nature and wild beasts, too, in the form of
men, concerning whom the Lord says: ‘Beware of false
prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly
are ravening wolves.’15 God does not find repose in these,
but in the actions of man whom He has made to His image
and likeness and who ought not to veil his head, since ‘he
is the image and glory of God.’16

To the soul of such a man He says: ‘Behold, Jerusalem, I
have painted thy walls.’17 He did not say ‘I have painted thy
belly’ or ‘thy lower parts,’ but ‘I have painted thy walls,’ thus
proclaiming that the strong protection of walls was granted
to man. In this way, by keeping careful watch on the walls,
man can ward off the dangers involved in a siege. He says,
therefore: ‘I have given you neither delights nor the allure¬
ments of desire, neither incentives to luxurious living nor
eagerness to possess another’s dignities. You have been granted
a substantial basis for erecting walls and lofty turrets by
means of which you can banish fear of an enemy’s assault and
the dread of terrifying raids from legions of soldiers.’

In fact, you have in Isaias the speech made by the soul of
a just man or of the Church: ‘I am a fortified city, I am a
city besieged,’18 defended by Christ and besieged by the
Devil. But he whom Christ aids ought not to be fearful of a
siege. He is defended by spiritual grace and is besieged by the
perils of this world. Hence, also, it is said in the Canticles:
‘I am a wall and my breasts are as a tower.’19 The wall is the

15 Matt. 7.15.

16 1 Cor. 11.7.

17 Isa. 49.16.

18 Isa. 27.10; Ps. 30.22.

19 Cant. 8.10.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

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Church and the towers are her priests, who have full power
to teach both the natural and the moral sciences.

(50) Be fully aware, O beautiful soul, of the fact that you
are the image of God. And, man, be aware that you are the
glory of God. Hear the words of the Prophet on the question
of glory: ‘Thy knowledge is become wonderful to me.’20 That
is to say, in my work your majesty, O God, has become more
wonderful; in the counsels of men Your wisdom is exalted.
When I contemplate myself such as I am known to You in
my secret thoughts and deepest emotions, the mysteries of
Your knowledge are disclosed to me.

Know then, man, your greatness and see to it that you never
on any occasion become entrapped in the snares of the Devil,
so as not to fall, perchance, into the jaws of that dread beast
‘who as a roaring lion goes about seeking someone to devour.’21
Take heed of what goes into you and what comes out. I do
not refer to food which is absorbed and ejected,22 but to
words and thoughts. Do not allow yourself to be led into
concupiscence in regard to a neighbor’s wife or let your eye
be captivated by the beauty of a woman who passes by.
Your mind and your conversation should shun being involved
in the crafty ways of seduction. Deceit should be far from
your thoughts and you should not indulge in slander against
your neighbor.

God has made you a hunter, not a harrier, for He says:
‘Behold I will send you many hunters’23 — hunters, not of
crime, but of absolution therefrom; hunters, certainly not of
sin, but of grace. You are a fisher of Christ, for whom it is
said: ‘Henceforth thou shalt make men live.’24 Spread your
nets, direct your eyes, and control your tongue in such a man-

20 Ps. 138.6.

21 1 Peter 5.8.

22 Cf. Matt. 5.11,17-19.

23 Jer. 16.16.

24 Luke 5.10.

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264

SAINT AMBROSE

ner that you destroy no one, but bring rescue to those who
struggle in the waters. He has declared: ‘Let him so stand
so as to take heed lest he fall’ and ‘So run as to obtain the
prize.’25 So struggle that you may often discover that the
crown is awarded only to him who has competed according
to the rules.26

You are a soldier. Then take stock of the enemy, lest at
night he may creep upon you. You are an athlete. Come to
grips with your enemy, not with your head, but with your
arms, lest he strike you in the eye. Let your vision be un¬
obstructed and your offense be cautious so as to parry the
attack; take advantage of his weaknesses, ‘shunning blows on
the body with watchful eyes’27 and repelling the assault by
aggressive action.

If you should suffer a wound, take heed and run to a
physician, to seek a remedy in repentance. Take heed, be¬
cause you are made of weak and stumbling flesh. May the
good physician of souls, the Divine Word, come to your
assistance. May the oracles of the Lord be to you like health¬
giving medicines. Take heed that no unrighteous word lie
hidden in your heart, for it creeps through your body like
poison, bringing with it deadly infection. Take heed, lest you
forget the God who made you, and do not take His name
in vain.

(51) When you have eaten your fill, build a home for
your habitation, abounding in flocks and in gold and silver,
together with all that you possess in plentiful abundance. Then
‘take heed that thine heart be lifted up and thou remember
not the Lord,’28 as the Law states.

For ‘what hast thou that thou hast not received?’29 Do not

25 I Cor. 9.24.

26 Cf. 2 Tim. 2.5.

27 Virgil, Aeneid 5.438.

28 Deut. 8.14.

29 1 Cor. 4.7.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

265

these things pass like a shadow?30 Is not this home of yours
but dust and desolation? Are not all these things false? Are
not the treasures of the world mere vanities? Are you not
yourself just ashes? Look into the sepulchers of men and take
note that nothing will remain of you but bones and ashes.
Look inside, I repeat, and tell me who in there is rich and
who is poor? Distinguish now between the needy and the
powerful. Naked we come into this world and naked we leave
it. There are no distinctions discoverable among the bodies
of the dead, unless, perchance, it may well be that those of
the wealthy give forth a stronger odor because they were
bloated with luxurious living. Who ever heard of a poor man
dying of indigestion? His impoverished condition is beneficial
to him. He exercises his body and does not overload it.
T have not heard of the just man forsaken nor his descendants
begging bread,’31 because the man who labors well in his
own land has a plentiful supply of food. Take heed, therefore,
man of wealth, because you, like the poor man, bear your
burden of flesh.

(52) Because your soul is a priceless thing, poor man, be
on your guard. The soul is everlasting, although the flesh is
mortal. Although you may lack money, you are not therefore
devoid of grace. Although your house is not commodious,
your possessions are not scattered. The sky is open and the
expanse of the world is free. The elements have been granted
to all for their common use. Rich and poor alike enjoy the
splendid ornaments of the universe.

Are the paneled ceilings decked with gold32 in the homes
of the very wealthy more beautiful than the face of the
heavens decorated with glistening stars? Are the estates of
the rich more extensive than the surface of the world? Hence
it was said of those who join house to house and estate to

30 Cf. Eccle. 7.1.

31 Ps. 36.25.

32 Cf. Horace, Odes 2.18.1.

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266

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estate: ‘Shall you alone dwell in the midst of the earth?’33
You have actually a larger house, you man of low estate — a
house wherein your call is heard and heeded. ‘O Israel,’ said
the Prophet, ‘how great is the house of God and how vast
is the place of his possession ! It is great and hath no end : it
is high and immense.’34 The house of God is common to rich
and poor. However, ‘with difficulty will a rich man enter the
kingdom of heaven.’35

Perhaps you resent the fact that ‘the light of golden lamps’36
do not shine in your home. But how much more brilliant is
the suffused light of the moon ! In winter you find a cause
for complaint that you do not possess a room-heater with its
‘breathing vapors.’37 But you possess the heat of the sun,
which tempers the surface of the earth and protects you from
the cold of winter. Do you really consider those people happy
‘who are attended by a mighty throng’38 of obsequious ser¬
vants? But those who rely on the feet of others lose by disuse
the power of using their own. Hence, only a few of the ser¬
vitors act as outriders; most of them are needed as bearers.

You may gaze in admiration on their abundance of money:
gold and silver. You see how much they have in abundance,
but you not see how much they need. To be able to recline
in litters in ivory is, to your mind, the height of luxury. But
you do not realize how luxurious a possession is the earth,
which spreads its couch of grass for the humble man. Here
are sweet repose and gentle sleep — such sleep as the restless
owner of a golden bed seeks in vain to attain. How much
happier does he consider you to be as you lie there so peace¬
fully ! So hard is it for him to invite sleep.

33 Isa. 5.8.

34 Bar. 3.24,25.

35 Matt. 19.23.

36 Virgil, Aeneid 1.726.

37 Ibid. 8.421.

38 Ibid. 4.136.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

267

Besides, there is, of course, another aspect which is much
more important. I refer to the fact that the just man who is
in want here will find abundance yonder and that he who
has endured toil here will find elsewhere his consolation.
Moreover, whoever has acquired goods here cannot hope to
receive there a return for his investment. The poor man
saves up his interest, whereas the rich man squanders it.

(53) The poor man and the rich man should therefore
take heed, because there are temptations for the man of
poverty as well as for the man of wealth. And so the wise man
says:39 ‘Give me neither beggary nor riches.’ He tells you
how this can be attained. Man has enough when he has a
sufficiency, because a wealthy man tends to distend his mind
with cares and anxieties, just as he gorges his stomach with
rich food. For that reason the wise man prays that he may
have what is necessary and adequate, saying: ‘Lest perhaps
being filled I should be tempted to deny and say, who sees
me? Or being compelled by poverty I should steal and for¬
swear the name of the Lord.’

Shun and avoid, therefore, the temptations of the world,
so that the poor may not despair and the rich may not grow
proud. For it is written, when you have expelled the heathen
and have begun to make use of their land: ‘Lest thou
shouldst say, my own might and the strength of my own hand
have achieved all these things for me.’40 Such a one is he
who ascribes all his success to his own merits, and hence,
feeling self-assured, does not recognize his own errors which
drag him with their .extended rope afar.14 For, if he believes
that his acquisition of property is due either to mere chance
or to shrewd cunning, there is no occasion for him to feel
undue pride in matters to which there is no glory attached,

39 Prov. 30.8,9.

40 Deut. 8.17.

41 Cf. Horace, Epistles 1.10.47,48.

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268

SAINT AMBROSE

or where the labor results in naught, or where there is evi¬
dence of shameless cupidity, which prescribes no limits in its
pursuit of pleasure.

Chapter 9

(54) But something must be said on the subject of the
human body. Who can deny that it excels all things in grace
and beauty? Although it seems in substance to be one and
the same with all earthly things, certain wild animals have
superiority in strength and size. Yet the form of the human
body, by reason of its erectness and stature, is such that it
lacks massive hugeness as well as abject lowliness. Moreover,
the very appearance of the body is gentle and pleasing with¬
out those extremes of size and of insignificance which might
lead either to dread or to indifference.

(55) First, let us make note of the fact that the body of
man is constructed like the world itself. As the sky is pre¬
eminent over air, earth, and sea, which serve as members
of the world, so we observe that the head has a position
above the other members of our body. In the same way, the
sky stands supreme among the other elements, just as a citadel
amid the other outposts in a city’s defense. In this citadel
dwells what might be called regal Wisdom, as stated in the
words of the Prophet: ‘The eyes of a wise man are in his
head.’1 That is to say, this position is better protected than
the others and from it strength and prevision are brought
to bear on all the rest.

What avail are the strength and vigor of our muscles or
the swiftness of our feet without the direction and assistance
of the head, its commander-in-chief? From this source comes

1 Eccle. 2.14.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION I SIX

269

real support for all the members or their complete abandon¬
ment.

To what avail is courage in combat without the aid of the
eyes? To what avail is flight, if sight be lacking? The body
as a whole may be likened to a dark and filthy prison unless
it is illuminated by the visual power of the eye. The eyes
in man correspond to the sun and moon in the heavens. The
sun and moon are the ‘twin lights of the firmament.’2 Our
eyes are in our heads like stars which shine aloft and with
their bright lights illuminate objects below, thus permitting
us to avoid being involved, as it were, in nocturnal darkness.
They are our sentries which keep watch day and night. They
are aroused from slumber quicker than our other members
and on awakening take stock of everything. They are nearer
to the brain, the seat of our ability to see.

In answer to those who think that I have made a too
hasty descent from the rest of the head in order to praise
the eyes, I maintain that it is not unfitting to commend in part
that which is most significant in itself. It is clear that the
eyes constute a part of the head. And so with the aid of the
eyes the head examines all things. With the ears it lays bare
what is secret, obtains knowledge of what is hidden, and
hears of events that occur in remote lands.

(56) How gentle and pleasing is the sight of the top of
the head, how attractive are its locks of hair, an object of
regard for our elders, of reverence for our priests! For war¬
riors, how fear-inspiring, for the young, how pleasing can these
locks be, whether arranged becomingly as in the case of
women or with the' soft sheen of youth! Long hair is un¬
becoming to one sex; shorn locks do not become the other.

One can learn from trees how charming a human head
can be. In the treetop everything stands for fruit, for beauty.
The tree’s hair-like foliage shields us from rain storms or

2 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 1.5.

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protects us from the sun. Take away the tree’s leafy locks and
the tree is wholly devoid of beauty. How precious, therefore,
is this adornment for the human head ! It protects and invests
with hair the very center and source of all our senses, the
brain, so that it may not be unduly affected by cold or heat !
Therein is found the primary source of all our feelings. It is
natural that beauty should be the attribute of that which is
most sensitive to ill.

(57) What is man without his head, since the totality of
man is in his head? When you see a head you recognize a man.
If the head is lacking, no recognition is possible. He lies an
ignoble trunk, without honor, ‘a nameless corpse.’3 Men pay
reverence merely to the heads of princes cast in bronze or to
their features carved in bronze or marble.4

Not without reason, therefore, do the other members pay
their respects to the head as to their director. They surround
it like servants bearing a litter and carry it aloft as something
divine. Hence, it has the power of a censor, whereby directions
and orders are given to the servants and special instructions
are relayed to each individual. You have there a picture of
each man willingly and without pay serving his commander-
in-chief. Some serve as porters; others take care of the pro¬
visions. Some act as bodyguards; others as orderlies. They
obey his orders as chief and minister to him as their master.
Before him there seems to precede what may be termed the
countersign or standing order, whereby the feet are directed
to approach a certain region, enjoining what military service
the hands should initiate and complete, and what disciplinary
orders should be imposed on the stomach in the way of
indulgence or abstention from food.

(58) A forehead free, open and with bare temples, adorns
the head. According to its appearance one may judge a

3 Virgil, Aeneid 2.558.

4 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 6.848.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

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person’s state of mind, now joyful or sad, now frowning in
moments of seriousness or smooth in moments of relaxation,
answering in forensic fashion to one’s inmost wish or will.
Here we have a image of a mind giving, as it were, expres¬
sion to words. Here is a foundation for belief, on which daily
the name of the Lord is inscribed and preserved.

A two-fold hedge, the eyebrows, are next in order. These
serve as a line of defense for the eyes and have a charm to
lighten a beautiful smile and at the same time are attentive
to their protective function. If any speck of sand or dirt,
drops of misty vapor or of streaming sweat should fall down,
the eyebrow serves to check it, so that no obstruction can
disturb the delicately formed organs of vision.5

(59) Close to these mountain-like eyebrows are arranged
the eyes, which are made safer by this bulwark of protection.
From their high position they are enabled to perceive all things
as if from a loftier stage. A position of less eminence, such as
that of the ears, mouth, or cavernous nose, would ill befit
the eyes. Watch towers are always placed on high, so that
the approach of hostile bands can be detected — bands which
are ready to take by surprise a city in the midst of a cele¬
bration, together with its people and its proud imperial army.

In this way, too, attacks from robbers may be anticipated,
if scouts are placed on walls, towers, or on the brows of a
high mountain. From these points the level regions below can
be observed where raiding parties can find no hiding place.
It happens also at sea that, when the nearness of land is
suspected, a lookout eagerly climbs the topmost mast or the
high yard arms and announces the sight of a distant land
still invisible to the rest of the navigators.

(60) Perhaps you may say that if a watch must neces¬
sarily be placed in a high position, why are not the eyes not
set in the very top of the head, as in the case of crabs and

5 Cf. Cicero, De natura deorum 2.143 (on the eyelids) .

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beetles who have no apparent head, but whose necks and
backs are higher than the rest of the body? But these have
a tough shell, whereas human beings have a tender covering
of skin which can easily be cut and torn by briers and
brambles. Moreover, other animals are so constituted that
they either can guard their eyes by bending their heads toward
their shoulders, as in the case of horses, oxen, and nearly all
wild beasts, or turn them, as birds do, toward their wings
for complete repose and protection.

It is right that the eyes should be set in the highest part of
the body in a sort of citadel, there to defend themselves from
all, even from the slightest attacking force.6 Here we are
faced with what appears to be a contradiction. If the eyes
were placed in a lower position for reasons of safety, they
would be unable to function; if in a higher, they would be
exposed to injury. Wherefore, lest anything detract from
their usefulness or lest any precaution against injury be not
available, God has placed the eyes in a position where the
eyebrows above provide no little defense and where the
cheeks below contribute their mite of protecting embank¬
ment. In addition, the nose offers a covering for the interior
position, while the exterior seems to be surrounded by a
bulwark of defense in the protuberant masses of forehead
and jaw — a structure, notwithstanding its connecting joints,
arranged with due evenness and balance.

In the midst of these are found the orbs of the eyes. They
are in a secure position for defense. They are free to make
observation and, crvstal-like, give forth beauty. In their midst
are the pupils, which are the organs of sight. To provide
for any possible injury, they are encircled with a rampart
composed of an orderly arrangement of filaments of hair.

Hence, in requesting help and safety for himself the

6 Ibid. 2.140.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

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Prophet says: ‘Keep me, O Lord, as the apple of your eye.’7
He asks for the necessary custody and the protection of Him
who has deigned to fortify the pupil of the eye with natural
palisades. Because innocence and purity may be violated by
the intrusion of a slight speck of dust and thus be deprived
of the gift of grace, we must for that reason be on our guard
lest the dust of error may cloud it or that any speck of sin
cause it pain. It is written : ‘First cast out the beam from thy
own eye and then wilt thou see clearly to cast out the speck
from thy brother’s eye.’8

(61) Those skilled in the art of medicine maintain, in
fact, that the brain is placed in a man’s head for the sake of
the eyes and that the other senses of our bodies are housed
close together on account of the brain. The brain is the
source of our nervous system and of all the sensations of
voluntary movement. From it emanates the cause of all that
we have discussed. It is the starting point of the arteries and
of that natural heat which gives life and warmth to the vital
parts. Many are of the opinion that this starting point is
the heart. The nerves serve as organs of each of the senses.
These proceed from the brain like cords and musical strings.
They fulfill their individual functions throughout the various
parts of the body.

Hence, the brain, because it is the gathering point of all
the senses, is softer than the other organs. From it emanate
the nerves which report everything; for example, what the eye
sees and what the ear hears, what odor has been perceived,
and what sound the tongue has given forth or what taste
the mouth has experienced. That which is softer is more
susceptible to impressions. The harder quality of the nervous
system, which results in a certain tautness, makes for more
efficacy in action.

7 Ps. 16.8.

8 Matt. 7.5.

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274

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(62) The sense of hearing has also a highly important
function, nearly on a par with that of sight. The ears are
rather prominent for this and for several other reasons.
They serve a decorative purpose and, secondly, are in the
way of anything, moist or otherwise, which may fall from
the top of the head. Again, their commodiousness makes it
possible for them to receive in their recesses repercussions of
sound without the danger of injuring the interior structure.
If this were not the case how astonished we would be at the
instrusion of any sound or of a voice stronger than usual!
Even with our present organs of hearing are we not often
benumbed by an unexpected burst of sound? You may note
the fact however that they present a bulwark against bitter
cold and burning heat. The open passage ways are impen¬
etrable to these same attacks, whether from severity of cold
or excess of heat.

The sinuous quality of the interior part of the ear furnishes
a basis for training in modulation, since a certain rhythmic
movement follows from the natural windings of the ear.
The entry of a sound of a voice results, too, in specific tonal
modifications. Again, our own experience tells us that such a
sinuous character of the ear tends to better receptivity of the
spoken word. We see that the voice is rendered gentler and
sweeter in situations where we hear an echo in the mountain
hollows, in rocky caves, or along winding streams.9 Not
without its usefulness, too, is the wax in the ear. It helps to
keep the voice intact, a result which at one and the same
time aids the memory and is a source of pleasure.

(63) What shall I say of the form of the nose, which
offers for the perception of odors a cave-like structure with
its two distended openings? The odor does not pass through
in indifferent fashion, but stays long within, so that by this
procedure it is able to satisfy fully the brain and the senses.

9 Cf. Virgil, Georgies, 4.49,50.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

275

It frequently happens that a transient aroma may continue
to stay with you for an entire day. Through the nose, too,
flow purgaments issuing from the head in such a way that
the body is not adversely affected in the process.

(64) The sense of touch is not without its significance. It
represents the keenest sort of pleasure and gives as well an
honest report of facts. Frequently, we are able to prove by
touch what we cannot do with the aid of the eyes.

(65) Finally, there remain the functions of the mouth
and tongue, which furnish strength to all the others. The
eyes would not have the power of vision without the sub¬
stantial basis of physical force provided by food and drink.
The ears, nose, and hands would not be capable of hearing,
smelling and touching, if the whole body were not sustained
by nourishment. Our strength declines unless it is restored
by continued absorption of adequate food. For that reason,
those exhausted by hunger have no sensation of pleasure in
the use of the senses. Not being, as it were, participants,10
they have no part in the predelictions of these senses.

( 66 ) What shall I say of the rampart of teeth built for the
mastication of food and for the full expression of the human
voice? Without teeth, what pleasure would our daily suste¬
nance give us? Hence we note that in this respect there is
often a clear indication that old age has been reached. Be¬
cause of the loss of teeth, really nourishing food cannot be
assimilated.

(67) The tongue, too, fulfills a most important function
in eating as well as in speaking. It acts like a plectrum or
quill11 in the production of speech. It might be compared
to a hand in the process of bringing to the action of the teeth
the food particles that otherwise would tend to fall. Speech
has its special function. It is carried through the void on the

10 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 6.428.

11 Cf. Cicero, De natura deorum 2.149.

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276

SAINT AMBROSE

wings of the air which is affected by this impulsive force,
at once stirring and calming the emotions of the hearer,
pacifying the angry, lifting up the down-hearted, and con¬
soling the grief-stricken. Granted that man shares his vocal
powers with the birds,12 there is, nevertheless, nothing in the
irrational animals which can be equated with the sound of
the human voice, provided, as it is, with rational powers.

We share, in fact, with the rest of living beings the
ordinary sense channels, but they do not make use of them
in the same way we do. The heifer raises her eyes to the sky,
but she is unaware of what she sees. This is true, also, of
wild animals and birds. All living things have the same
liberty to see, but man alone has the will to interpret what
he perceives. He gazes at the rising and the setting of the
celestial signs. He sees the glory of the sky and marvels at
the starry orbs. He is aware of the diverse aspect of each
star. He knows when the evening and the morning star arise
and why they appear at these times. The movements of
Orion, as well as the phases of the moon, are well known to
him. He understands how ‘the sun knows the hour of its
setting’13 and how it preserves its allotted course with due
regularity.

Other living beings also have the power of hearing, but
who other than man acquires knowledge by the sense of
hearing? Man alone of all terrestial beings is able by listen¬
ing, reflection, and wisdom to gather the secrets of knowl¬
edge. He is able to say: ‘I will hear what the Lord God
will speak to me.’14 The most important of all things is this:
Man becomes the organ of the voice of God and gives utter¬
ance with his corporeal lips to the oracular words from

12 Cf. the Epicurean doctrine in Lucretius 5.1379.

13 Ps. 103.19.

14 Ps. 84.9.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

211

heaven, such as: ‘Cry. What shall I cry? All flesh is grass. ’1‘>
He heard what he ought to say and he cried aloud.

Let those who mark out with a compass the regions of the
sky and of the earth keep their wisdom for themselves. Let
them have that knowledge of which the Lord speaks: ‘The
wisdom of the prudent I will reject.’16 Neither the rhythm
of a speech nor the tones and notes of musical science will
enter into my discussion at this point. I shall confine myself
to that wisdom of which the Prophet speaks: ‘The uncertain
and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest
to me.’17

(68) What shall. I say of the kiss which is a symbol of
affection and love? Doves exchange kisses, but what is this
compared to the charm of a kiss of a human being in which
the note of friendliness and kindliness is conspicuous, and
where is expressed the indubitable sense of our sincerest
affection?

Hence the Lord, condemning His betrayer as a species of
monstrosity, says: ‘Judas, dost thou betray the Son of Man
with a kiss?’18 That is to say, changing the emblem of love
into a sign of betrayal and to a revelation of unfaithfulness,
are you employing this pledge of peace for the purpose of
cruelty? And thus by the oracular voice of God reproof is
given to him who by the bestial conjunction of lips bestows
a sentence of death rather than a covenant of love.

It is worthy of note, too, that it is given to men alone to
express with their lips what they feel in their hearts. Hence
we make evident our tacit mental reflections with the speech
that flows from our lips. What is the mouth of man but an

15 Isa. 40.6.

16 1 Cor. 1.19; Isa. 29.14.

17 Ps. 50.8.

18 Luke 22.48.

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278

SAINT AMBROSE

avenue for discourse, a fount of disputation, a reception
hall for words, a repository of the will?

We have now completed our general discussion of the
human body. It can be compared to a royal palace, which,
though it has a number of adjoining halls, still preserves the
appearance of a unified whole.

(69) To come down to particulars, there is the throat or
neck through which vital contacts are made with the whole
body and through which, too, the coursing flow of this breath
of ours is poured.

Next we have the arms, and the strong fore-arm muscles,
together with the hands strong for action and adaptable for
holding objects by reason of their prolonged fingers. Hence
that greater aptitude for work, that elegance in writing,
and that ‘pen of the scrivener that writeth swiftly,’19 whereby
the oracles of God are set down in writing. It is the hand
that serves the mouth with food. Great are the deeds for
which the hand is eminent. The hand is placed on the holy
altars as conciliator of divine grace. Through it we oflfer as
well as partake in the celestial sacraments. It is the hand
which performs and at the same time dispenses the divine
mysteries. The Son of God did not disdain to declare by
the mouth of David: ‘The right hand of the Lord hath
wrought strength: the right hand of the Lord hath exalteth
me.’20 It is the hand which has created all things, as the
omnipotent God has said: ‘Did not my hand make all these
things?’21 The hand is the outpost of the entire body, as
well as the defender of the head. Although it is lower in
position, the hand serves to decorate and beautify the top
of the head with becoming adornments.

(70) Who can worthily describe the wicker-work of the

19 Ps. 44.2.

20 Ps. 117.16.

21 Isa. 66.2.

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

279

chest22 or the tenderness of the stomach? If it were not for
these, the more delicate internal organs could not be pro¬
tected and the folds of the intestines would undoubtedly
be injured by the hard structure of bone. What is more
conducive to health than that the lungs should hold a posi¬
tion contiguous to the heart? When the heart flares up with
anger and indignation, it can soon be moderated by the action
of the blood and vapor in the lungs. Again, the lungs are
tender because they are ever filled with moisture so as to
offset immediately the rigidity induced by indignation.

We have set forth these matters in a fashion so brief and
succinct that we seem, in the manner of the unskilled, just
to touch on the merely obvious. Our purpose is not to probe
deeply like a physician nor is it our design to search into
what is hidden far in the haunts of nature.

(71) The close association of the spleen and the liver leads
to good results. The spleen absorbs what it feeds on, elimi¬
nates whatever refuse is found there. The result is that
whatever food is left is able in its liquified condition to pass
through the very fine fibers of the liver and is then trans¬
formed into blood. This serves to produce vital strength and
is not evacuated with the excrements of the body.

The construction of the intestines with their involved
folds, woven without entanglement one with the other, indi¬
cates nothing else but the divine providence of the Creator,
inasmuch as food particles neither pass quickly through the
stomach nor are they immediately evacuated. If this were
to happen, men would have an incessant hunger and con¬
tinuous craving for food. For, when the interior is emptied
and drained at the moment when the food is being immedi¬
ately evacuated, an inordinate and insatiable desire for food
and drink must necessarily follow — a result which without
question may lead to an early death.

22 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 12.508.

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280

SAINT AMBROSE

It is providentially designed, therefore, that the food be
first digested in the upper ventricle and next be liquified in
the exhalation of the liver. The resulting fluid is then trans¬
fused into the rest of the body. Our limbs are nourished by
this substance, providing growth for the young and endur¬
ance for the old. The superfluous residue is carried through
the intestines and finds its exit by the customary ‘door in the
side.’23

(72) In Genesis it is fittingly stated that the ark of Noe,
was formed in the fashion of the human body. Of the ark
God said: ‘Make thee an ark of timber planks. Thou shalt
make little rooms and thou shalt pitch it within and without.’
The outward appearance was as follows: ‘The door in the
ark thou shalt set in the side with lower, middle chambers
and third stories shalt thou make it.’24 By this the Lord meant
that ‘the door set in the side’ was to be the place through
which superfluous food was to be ejected. It is fitting, also,
that the channel for refuse was placed by the Creator remote
from man’s countenance, so that, when we bend over, our
countenance may not be contaminated. At the same time,
take note of the fact that the shameful parts of the body are
placed there where they cannot cause us shame when they
are suitably covered with clothing.

(73) The pulsation of the veins is a messenger either of
infirmity or of health. Although the veins are spread through¬
out the entire body, they are neither exposed nor uncovered.
They are sheathed in such a slight coating of flesh that one
can easily find then and as readily feel them. There is no
thick covering of flesh which can conceal them from view.
The bones, too, are all covered with a thin coating of flesh
and are bound with the tendons. Those on the top of the

23 Gen. 6.16.

24 Gen. 14.1.

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head have the advantage of being covered with a thin skin.
They are clothed, also, with a thick growth of hair, the better
to provide protection against rain and cold.

What shall I say of the genitals, which from the veins in
the region of the neck through the reins and loins receive the
generating seed destined for the function and satisfaction of
procreation?

(74) What shall I say of the purpose of the legs, which,
without suffering any ill effects, are sufficient to sustain the
weight of the whole body? The knee has a certain flexibility,
by reason of which the offended master is especially appeased,
his ire softened, and his favors induced. This is the gift of
the most high Father to His Son: ‘That in the name of the
Lord every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth
and under the earth and every tongue should confess that
the Lord Jesus is in the glory of God the Father.’25

There are two things which above all others give delight
to God: humility and faith. The leg expresses the emotion
of humility and the submission of constant service. Faith
makes the Son equal to the Father and makes evident that
the same glory belongs to each.

That man should have two legs and not more is altogether
fitting. Wild animals and beasts have four legs, while birds
possess two. Hence man has kinship with the winged flock
in that with his vision he aims at what is high. He flies as if
‘on the oarage of wings’26 by reason of the sagacity of his
sublime senses. Hence it was said of him: ‘Your youth is
renewed like the eagle’s,’27 because he is near what is celestial
and is higher than the eagle, as one who can say: ‘But our
citizenship is in heaven.’28

25 Phil. 2.10.

26 A Virgilian expression often repeated.

27 Ps. 102.5.

28 Phil. 3.20.

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Chapter 10

(75) But now we seem to have reached the end of our
discourse, since the sixth day is completed and the sum total
of the work of the world has been concluded. There has
taken place, in fact, the creation of man himself, who holds
the principate over every living thing and is what might be
called the summation of the universe and the delight of every
creature in the world.

Surely we should now make our contribution of silence,
since God has rested from the work of the world.1 He found
repose in the deep recesses of man, in man’s mind and pur¬
pose, for He had made man with the power of reasoning, an
imitator of Himself, a striver after virtue, and one eager for
heavenly grace. God finds comfort in these traits, as His own
testimony declares: ‘Or on whom shall I find repose but on
him who is humble and peaceful and who trembles at my
words?’2

(76) I give thanks to our Lord God, who made a work of
such a nature that He could find rest therein. He made the
heavens. I do not read that He rested. He made the earth.
I do not read that He rested. He made the sun, moon, and
stars. I do not read that He found rest there. But I do read
that He made man and then found rest in one whose sins
He would remit.

It may well be that He had given a symbolic picture then
of the future Passion of the Lord, thus revealing that in
man one day Christ would find repose. He anticipated for
Himself repose [of death] in the body for the redemption
of mankind, as He declares is His own words: ‘I have slept
and taken my rest and I have risen up, because the Lord

1 Cf. Gen. 2.2.

2 Isa. 66.2 (Septuagint) .

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SIX DAYS OF CREATION : SIX

283

hath protected me.’3 He, the Creator, rested. To Him be
honor, praise, and glory everlasting from the beginning of
time, now, always, and for ever. Amen.

3 Ps. 3.6.

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PARADISE

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PARADISE

Chapter 1

n approaching this subject I seem to be possessed
by an unusual eagerness in my quest to clarify the
facts about Paradise, its place, and its nature to
those who are desirous of this knowledge. This is all the
more remarkable since the Apostle did not know whether
he was in the body or out of the body, yet he says that he
‘was caught up to the third heaven.’1 And again he says: ‘I
know such a man — whether in the body or out of the body
I do not know, God knows — that he was caught up into
paradise and heard secret words that man may not repeat.
Of such a man I will boast; but of myself I will glory in
nothing save in my infirmities. For if I do wish to boast, I
shall not be foolish; for I am speaking the truth.’2 If Para¬
dise, then, is of such a nature that Paul alone, or one like
Paul, could scarcely see it while alive, and still was unable
to remember whether he saw it in the body or out of the
body, and, moreover, heard words that he was forbidden

1 2 Cor. 12.2.

2 2 Cor. 12.3-6.

287

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288

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to reveal — if this be true, how will be it possible for us to
declare the position of Paradise which we have not been
able to see and, even if we had succeeded in seeing it, we
would be forbidden to share this information with others?
And, again, since Paul shrank from exalting himself by reason
of the sublimity of the revelation, how much more ought we
to strive not to be too anxious to disclose that which leads
to danger by its very revelation! The subject of Paradise
should not, therefore, be treated lightly. With these words
let us set aside the question of what was hidden to Paul.

(2) Nevertheless, we can find out who was the Creator
of this Paradise. We read in Genesis that God planted a
garden to the east and he put there the man he had formed.’3
Who had the power to create Paradise, if not almighty God,
who ‘spoke and they were made’4 and who was never in
want of the thing which He wished to bring into being?
He planted, therefore, that Paradise of which He says in His
wisdom: ‘Every plant which my Father has not planted
will be rooted up.’5 This is a goodly plantation for angels
and saints. The saints are said to lie beneath the fig tree and
the vine.6 In this respect they are the type of the angels7 in
that time of peace which is to come.

( 3 ) Hence, Paradise has many trees that are fruit-bearing,
with plenty of sap, and vigor. Of these it is said: ‘All
the trees of the woods shall rejoice.’8 The woods flourish
ever with the green shoots of merit, just like that ‘tree which
is planted near the running waters, whose leaf shall not fall
off,’9 because its fruit is plenteous. Here, then, is Paradise.

3 Gen. 2.8.

4 Ps. 32.9.

5 Matt. 15.13.

6 Mich. 6.6.

7 Cf. Mark 12.25.

8 Ps. 95.12.

9 Ps. 1.3.

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PARADISE

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(4) The place where it is planted is called delight; where¬
fore holy David says: ‘Thou shalt not make them drink of
the torrent of thy pleasure,’10 for you have read that ‘a river
rose in Eden watering the garden.’11 These woods, therefore,
which were planted in Paradise are watered by the outpour¬
ing of the waters of that spirit concerning which He says
elsewhere: ‘The stream of the river maketh the city of God
joyful.’12 Here is that city of Jerusalem which above is free,13
in which the different merits of the saints come to fruition.

(5) In this garden, therefore, God put the man He had
formed. Take note that He placed man there not in respect
to the image of God, but in respect to the body of man.
The incorporeal does not exist in a place. He placed man in
Paradise, just as He placed the sun in heaven, awaiting
lordship over the heavens, just as the creature expects the
revelation of the sons of God.14

(6) Hence, if Paradise is a place where shrubs have
opportunity to blossom, then Paradise has a certain vital
force which receives and multiplies seeds in which each and
every virtue is planted, and where flourishes the tree of life
which is called Wisdom. Of this, Solomon says that Wisdom
arose not of the earth but of the Father: ‘For she is the
brightness of eternal light’ and ‘the emanation of the glory
of the almighty God.’15

10 Ps. 35.9.

11 Gen. 2.10.

12 Ps. 45.5.

13 Cf. Gal. 4.26.

14 Cf. Rom. 8.9.

15 Wisd. 7.25,26.

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290

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Chapter 2

(7) There was a tree of the knowledge of good and evil
in Paradise. This was so because ‘God made to grow a tree
pleasant to sight and good for food, the tree of life also in
the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil.’1 We shall see later whether this tree, like the
others, was pleasant to sight and good for food. The ques¬
tion will be more fittingly discussed at the point where, on
tasting the fruit of this tree, we find that man was deceived.
Meantime, we should now reproach ourselves for not being
able to know precisely the reasons behind these facts. We
should not form a hasty judgment in respect to this product
of creation, if it presents to our intellect what seems to us —
like the creation of serpents and certain poisonous creatures —
difficult and incomprehensible. In fact, we are unable, owing
to human weakness, yet to know and understand the reason
for the creation of each and every object. Let us, therefore,
not criticise in holy Scripture something which we cannot
comprehend. There are very many things which must not
be subjected to the judgment of our intellect. Rather, these
should be surveyed from the lofty heights of Divine Provi¬
dence and from the intentions of God Himself.

(8) Without prejudice, then, to what we shall say here¬
after, set it down as a first principle that the subject of this
tree of the knowledge of good and evil is to you a displeasing
one. After men had tasted of this tree, they realized that
they were naked.2 Nevertheless, I will state for your benefit
that as a consummation of God’s creation this tree grew in
Paradise and that it was permitted by God, in order that we
might be able to know the pre-eminence of good. How could
we learn to know that there was a difference between good

1 Gen. 2.9.

2 Cf. Gen. 3.7.

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and evil, if there existed no knowledge of good and evil?
We could not have come to realize that evil was evil, unless
there was knowledge of good, and that there could not be
knowledge of good, unless there was actual good. Again, we
could not have know what in itself was good, unless there
was knowledge of evil. Take an example from the nature
of the human body. There exists as a matter of fact a certain
bitter and poisonous substance which has been discovered to
have a general salutary effect on the health of men. Hence,
what we regard as evil frequently turns out to be not in
every respect evil, but to be advantageous for general use.
Just as poison exists in a part of the body but has a beneficial
effect on the body as a whole, so God established the knowl¬
edge in part of what is good and evil, in order that the
whole might be benefitted.

(9) Hence it follows that the serpent in Paradise was
certainly not brought into being without the will of God. In
the figure of the serpent we see the Devil. That the Devil
existed even in Paradise we are informed by the Prophet
Ezechiel, who in discussing the Prince of Tyre says: ‘Thou
wast in the pleasures of the paradise of God.’3 We maintain
that the Prince of Tyre stands for the Devil. Shall we, there¬
fore, accuse God because we cannot comprehend the treas¬
ures — with the exception of those which He has deigned to
reveal — of His majesty and wisdom which lie hidden and
concealed in Christ? Yet He did reveal to us the fact that the
wickedness of the Devil is fruitful for man’s salvation. This
would not be the Devil’s intention, but the Lord makes the
wickedness of him who stands in opposition to us contribute
something to our salvation. The wickedness of the Devil has
caused the virtue and patience of one holy man to shine in
a clearer light. The justice of Job was so disciplined and

3 Ezech. 28.13.

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SAINT AMBROSE

exercised by the wickedness of his opponent that eventually
he gained the crown of victory over his adversary, the Devil.
No one is crowned ‘unless he has competed according to the
rules.’1 Joseph’s chastity, too, would never have been recorded
for us, if it did not happen that a woman, the wife of his
master and friend, incited and goaded by the Devil’s allure¬
ments, had not played with his affections.5 This woman
finally endeavored to bring about his death. This event
added more to the fame of a man who by his continence
faced death in defense of chastity. Do you desire to know
God’s plan? Here is an instance. Through the instrumentality
of the Devil there was once an occasion when a just man
prepared to perpetrate manslaughter. The situation was one
that involved the murder of one’s own son. Yet, for all that,
the Lord tempted Abraham in this wise. He demanded that
Abraham sacrifice his son to Him. By reason of this temp¬
tation he was able to prove himself faithful to the Lord,
since compliance to his vow and not pity for his beloved son
brought about repeal of the order.6 There was, therefore,
in Paradise a tree of knowledge of good and evil which
appeared to the eye to be beautiful and to the taste to be
edible. It was not actually good to eat, for its fruit appeared
to have a harmful effect on man. What is injurious to indi¬
viduals may nevertheless have a beneficial effect on men as
a whole. The Devil, for example, did harm to Judas,7 but
he bestowed the wreath of victory on all the other Apostles,
inasmuch as they were able to face and overcome the force
of his temptation.

(10) Accordingly, let it not be a subject of reprehension
or doubt that the Devil existed in Paradise. As a matter of

4 2 Tim. 2.5.

5 Cf. Gen. 39.17.

6 Cf. Gen. 22.1.

7 Cf. Luke 22.3.

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PARADISE

293

fact he was powerless to bar from the saints the way of their
ascent. As one who had the right of possession, he did not
evict the just from their habitation. It may be that he turned
away from the occupancy of that high estate some who were
in fact slothful and vicious. There is a recorded event that
arouses to a much greater degree our regard and our admi¬
ration. This is the fact that the Devil was excluded from the
prayers of the saints as the result of an event which was to
take place: ‘I was watching Satan fall as lightning from
heaven.’8 Let us, therefore, not fear one who is so weak that
he is destined to fall from heaven. He actually received the
power to tempt us but not the competency to subvert us,
except when our weak and unassisted will falters because it
is powerless to summon aid. For that reason we need to know
what was the nature of the deceit inflicted on the first man.
We ought to know, too, the method and manner of the
Devil’s procedure and what in man he thought was subject
to temptation, so that we, in knowing this, may proceed to
take precautions.

(11) Many people nevertheless are of the opinion that
the Devil was not in Paradise, although we read that he
stood with the angels in heaven.9 These persons interpret
the statement of Scripture according to their own fancy.
In this way they put aside any objection which they may
have to the words of Scripture. We stand by the conviction
held by one who preceded us that sin was committed by
man because of the pleasure of sense. We maintain that the
figure of the serpent stands for enjoyment and the figure of
the woman for the emotions of the mind and heart. The
latter is called by the Greeks ouaSrjaic;. When according to
this theory, the senses are deceived, the mind, which the
Greeks call voOg, falls into error. Hence, not without reason

8 Luke 10.18.

9 Cf. Zach. 3.1.

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SAINT AMBROSE

the author to whom I refer10 accepts the Greek word voOq
as a figure of a man and octo0r|ai<; as that of a woman.
Hence, some have interpreted Adam to mean an earthly
vouq. In the Gospel the Lord sets forth the parable of the
virgins who awaited the coming of the bridegroom with
either lighted or extinguished lamps. Thus He exemplifies
either the pure emotions of the wise or the impure senses of
the unwise.11 If Eve, that is, the emotions of the first woman,
had kept her lamp lighted, she would not have enfolded us
in the meshes of her sin. She would not have fallen from the
height of immortality which is established as the reward of
virtue.

Chapter 3

(12) Paradise is, therefore, a land of fertility — that is to
say, a soul which is fertile — planted in Eden, that is, in a
certain delightful or well-tilled land in which the soul finds
pleasure. Adam exists there as voOg [mind] and Eve as ‘sense.’
Take note of what this soul of ours has in the nature of defense
against natural and weak tendencies or against situations
which might be unfavorable to us in our attempts to avoid
danger.

(13) There was a fount which irrigated the land of Para¬
dise.1 Is not this stream our Lord Jesus Christ, the Fount as
well as the Father of eternal life? It is written: ‘For with
thee is the fountain of life.’2 Hence: ‘From within him
there shall flow living waters.’3 We read of a fountain and
a river which irrigates in Paradise the fruit-bearing tree that

10 Cf. Philo, De opificio mundi 59; Lesum alleeoriae I 29.

11 Cf. Matt. 25.1.

1 Cf. Gen. 2.10.

2 Ps. 35.10.

3 John 7.38; cf. Isa. 58.11.

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PARADISE

295

bears fruit for life eternal. You have read, then, that a fount
was there and that ‘a river rose in Eden,’4 that is, in your
soul there exists a fount. This is the meaning of Solomon’s
words: ‘Drink water out of thy own cistern and the streams
of thy own well.’5 This refers to the fount which rose out of
that well-tilled soul, full of pleasant things, this fount which
irrigates Paradise, that is to say, the soul’s virtues that
blossom because of their eminent merits.

(14) ‘The river,’ we are told, ‘is separated into four
branches. The name of one is Phison which encircles all the
land of Hevila, where there is gold. And the gold of that
land is good; bdellium and onyx there. The name of the
second river is Gihon. This river encircles all the land of
Ethiopia. The name of the third river is Tigris, which river
flows by the Assyrians. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.’6
There are, therefore, four rivers. Phison — so called by the
Hebrews, but named Ganges by the Greeks — flows in the
direction of India. Gihon is the river Nile, which flows
around the land of Egypt or Ethiopia. The land enclosed
by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is called Mesopotamia
because it lives between these two rivers. This name conveys
its location even to far-distant peoples and, besides, expresses
popular belief. But how is the fount called the Wisdom of
God? That this is a fount the Gospel tells us in the words,
‘If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink.’7 Wisdom
is a fount according to the Prophet: ‘Come and eat my
bread and drink the wine which I have mingled for you.’8
As Wisdom is the fountain of life, it is also the fountain of
spiritual grace. It is also the fountain of other virtues which
guide us to the course of eternal life. Therefore, the stream

4 Gen. 2.10.

5 Prov. 5.15.

6 Gen. 2.10-14.

7 John 7.37.

8 Prov. 9.15.

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that irrigates Paradise rises from the soul when well-tilled,
not from the soul which lies uncultivated. The results there¬
from are fruit trees of diverse virtues. There are four princi¬
pal trees which constitute the divisions of Wisdom. These
are the well-known four principal virtues: prudence, temper¬
ance, fortitude, and justice. The wise men of this world have
adopted this division from us and transferred it to their
writings. Hence, Wisdom acts as the source from which
these four rivers take their rise, producing streams that are
composed of these virtues.

(15) Phison, therefore, stands for prudence. Hence it
has pure gold, brilliant rubies, and topaz stones. We often
refer to wise discoveries as gold, as the Lord says, speaking
through the Prophet: ‘I gave to them gold and silver.’9 Daniel
says of the wise: ‘If you sleep among the midst of the lots,
you shall be as the wings of the dove covered with silver and
the hinder parts of her back like to gold.’10 In this way one
who puts his trust in the aid of the Old and New Testament
can by resourceful inquiry attain the inmost secrets of the
Wisdom of God. Here, therefore, is found pure gold, not the
metal which is melted, which belongs to this earth, and is
subject to corruption. In this land, we are told, there is
found the brilliant ruby stone in which there exists the vital
spark of our souls. Here, too, is the topaz stone which by
the nature of its color reveals an effect of greenness and
vitality. Plants which are alive give forth green sprouts, while
those that are dead are sapless and dry. The earth grows
green when it is in bloom. The seeds, too, sprout forth green
shoots in their periods of growth. The river Phison is right¬
fully given first place. The Hebrews call it Pheoyson, which
means ‘change of mouth,’ because it flows even through Lydia
and not merely around one nation, for Wisdom, which is of

9 Osee 2.8.

10 Ps. 67.14.

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benefit to all men, is productive and useful. Hence, if a
person were to leave Paradise, this river of Wisdom would
be the first object he would meet. Thus he may not become
inert and arid and his return to Paradise may be facilitated.
Many men resort to this river, which is considered to have
marvelous beauty and fecundity. Accordingly, it is regarded
as a figure of Widsom, which confers manifold fruits in the
coming of the Lord of Salvation. It flows, too, to the very
ends of the earth, because, by Wisdom all men have been
redeemed. Wherefore it is written: ‘Their sound hath gone
forth into all the earth and their words unto the end of the
world.’11

(16) The second river is Gihon, by which, when they
were sojourning in Egypt, was laid down the law of the
Israelites that they should depart from Egypt,12 and having
girded their loins they should as a sign of temperance par¬
take of a lamb. It is fitting that the chaste and the sanctified
should celebrate the Pasch of the Lord. For that reason, the
observance of the Law was first carried out beside that river,
the name of which signifies an opening of the earth. There¬
fore, just as an opening absorbs the earth and whatever
defilements and refuse there may be in it, in like manner
chastity tends to consume all the passions of the body. Ap¬
propriately, then, the observance of the established Law first
took place there, because carnal sin is absorbed by the Law.
And so Gihon, which is a figure of chastity, is said to sur¬
round the land of Ethiopia in order to wash away our lowly
bodies and quench the fires of our vile flesh. The meaning
of Ethiopia in Latin is ‘holy and vile.’ What is more lowly,
what is more like Ethiopia, than our bodies, blackened, too,
by the darkness of sin?

(17) The third river is the Tigris, which flows by the

11 Ps. 18.5.

12 Exod. 12.11.

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Assyrian land. To this river the deceiver Israel was dragged
as a prisoner. This river is the swiftest of all rivers. The
Assyrian dwell by it, guarding its course for this is the
meaning of its name. Hence, those who by their fortitude
hold in check the guileful vices of the body and direct them¬
selves to higher things are thought to have something in
common with this river. For that same reason fortitude ema¬
nates from that source in Paradise. Fortitude in its rapid
course tosses aside everything standing in its path and like
this river is not hindered by any material obstacle.

(18) The fourth river is the Euphrates, which means
in Latin ‘fecundity and abundance of fruits.’ It presents a
symbol of Justice, the nourishment of every soul. No virtue
produces more abundant benefits than Equity or Justice,
which is more concerned with others than with itself, neg¬
lecting its own advantages, and preferring the common
good. Many derive Euphrates from the Greek cmo too
£U()>pcuv£a9oa, that is, from a ‘feeling of gladness,’ because
the human race rejoices in nothing more than it does in Jus¬
tice and Equity. The question as to why, although the location
itself of other rivers is reported, we have no description of
the regions through which the river Euphrates flows calls
for an answer. The waters of this river are considered to
have a vital quality which fosters growth and increase.
Wherefore, the wise men among the Hebrews and the
Assyrians called this river Auxen [increase] in contradis¬
tinction to the water of other rivers. The opposition has
been well established between wisdom and malice, fortitude
and irascibility, temperance, and other vices. Justice, on
the other hand, is the most important as it represents the
concord of all the other virtues. Hence it is not known from
the places from which it flows, that is to say, it is not known
in part. Justice is not divisible into parts. It is, as it were,
the mother of all virtues. In these four rivers are symbolized^

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therefore, the four principal virtues. It may well be said
that these virtues have been the determining boundary lines
for the four great ages of the world. This, in fact, is the topic
of the discourse which follows.

(19) The first age, then, is the age of Wisdom. This
period extends from the beginnings of the world up to the
time of the Flood. The Lord has given us the names of the
just men of this age. Abel was so called, and so was Enos,
a man made to the image of God, who hoped to invoke
the name of the Lord God. Henoch, also, whose name in
Latin means ‘grace of God,’ was carried up to heaven,13
and Noe, who was a just man,14 and one who might be called
a guide to tranquillity.15

(20) The second age of the world is that of Abraham
and Isaac, Jacob, and a number of other patriarchs. This
was a period in which religion flourished in its more temper¬
ate and purest form. Pure was Isaac, a son given to Abraham
according to promise, not as an offering of the body, but as
a gift of divine beneficence. In him there is found the figure
of Him who is pure as the Apostle teaches. ‘The promises
were made to Abraham and to his offspring. He does not
say, “And to his offsprings,” but as of one, “And to thy
offspring,” who is Christ.’16

(21) The third age lies in the period of the Law of
Moses and in the time of the other Apostles. ‘For time will
fail me if I tell of Gideon, of Barac, of Samson, of David
and of Samuel, Elias and Elisaeus, who by faith conquered
kingdoms, wrought justice, obtained promises, stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the
edge of the sword, recovered strength from weakness, became

13 Cf. Gen. 5.24.

14 Cf. Gen. 6.9.

15 Cf. Isidore, Etym. 7.6.15.

16 Gal. 3.16.

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300

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valiant in battle and captured the camps of aliens.’17 Not
without reason, then, do these men stand as types of fortitude.
Further on we are told: ‘They were sawed asunder, they
were tempted, they were put to death by the sword. They
went about in goatskins, destitute, distressed, afflicted — -
of whom the world was not worthy — wandering in deserts,
mountains, caves and holes in the earth.’18 Appropriately,
therefore, do we set these men down as types of Fortitude.

(22) The figure of Justice is, according to the Gospel, a
meritorious one, because ‘it is unto salvation to everyone
who believes.’19 Hence, the Lord Himself says: ‘Permit us
to fulfill all justice.’20 She is truly the prolific parent of
the other virtues. Yet, whoever possesses any of the above-
mentioned principal virtues has the other virtues, also, since
these virtues are so connected as to form a unit. Surely,
Abel, a just and courageous man, Abraham, a man of great
patience, the Prophets, men of the greatest wisdom, and
Moses, a man of great learning, considered that the inglori¬
ousness of Christ brought far greater honor than the treasures
of Egypt. Who was wiser than Daniel? Solomon, too, sought
wisdom and merited it.21 Enough has been said, therefore,
on the subject of the four rivers of virtue whose waters are
salutary. We have discussed, too, the reason why Phison
is said to have not only the gold, but also the ruby and the
topaz stone, of that goodly land. We propose now to develop
the latter topic.

(23) Since Enos in his wisdom yearned to know the
name of God, he seems to us to stand for gold that is good.22
Henoch, who was borne aloft and did not see death, can be

17 Heb. 11.32-34.

18 Heb. 11.37.38.

19 Cf. Rom. 1.16.

20 Matt. 3.15.

21 Cf. 3 Kings 3.8.

22 Cf. Gen. 4.26; 5.24.

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likened to a ruby stone of pleasant odor which holy Henoch
by his works offered to God, thus exhaling in his active and
exemplary life something akin to sweetness. Noe, on the
other hand, like the green topaz stone, suggests a color which
represents life, since he alone at the time of the Flood pre¬
served in his ark the vital seed of the formation of the world
to come. Paradise, a land watered by many rivers, is then
appropriately situated in the East and not in the regions
facing it. This reference to the East is significant, for the
rising sun may be compared to Christ23 who flashed forth a
gleam of eternal light which exists in Eden, that is, in a
land of delight.

Chapter 4

(24) ‘And God took the man whom he has created and
placed him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.’1
Note, now, the person who was taken and the land where
he was formed. The virtue of God, therefore, took man and
breathed into him, so that man’s virtue will advance and
increase. God set him apart in Paradise that you may know
that man was taken up, that is to say, was breathed upon
by the power of God. Note the fact that man was created
outside Paradise, whereas woman was made within it.
This teaches us that each person acquires grace by reason of
virtue, not because of locality or of race. Hence, although
created outside Paradise, that is, in an inferior place, man
is found to be superior, whereas woman, created in a better
place, that is to say, in Paradise, is found to be inferior. She
was first to be deceived and was responsible for deceiving
the man. Wherefore the Apostle Paul has related that holy

23 Cf. Matt. 24.27.

1 Gen. 2.15.

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302

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women have in olden times been subject to the stronger
vessel and recommends them to obey their husbands as their
masters.2 And Paul says: ‘Adam was not deceived, but the
woman was deceived and was in sin.’3 This is a warning
that no one ought to rely on himself, for she who was made
for assistance needs the protection of a man.4 The head of
the woman is man, who, while he believed that he would
have the assistance of his wife, fell because of her.5 Where¬
fore, no one ought to entrust himself lightly to another unless
he has first put that person’s virtue to the test. Neither should
he claim for himself in the role of protector one whom he
believes is subservient to him. Rather, a person should share
his grace with another. Especially is this true of one who is
in the position of greater strength and one who plays the
part of protector. We have advice of the Apostle Peter,
wherein he recommends that husbands pay honor to their
wives: Husbands, in like manner, dwell with your wives
considerately, paying honor to the woman as to the weaker
vessel and as co-heir of the grace of life that your prayers
be not hindered.’5

( 25 ) Therefore man was placed in Paradise, while the
woman was created in Paradise. The woman, even before
she was deceived by the serpent, shared grace with a man,
since she was taken from a man. Yet ‘this is a great mys¬
tery,’7 as the Apostle said. Wherefore he traced the source
of life from it. And so Scripture refers only to man in the
words: ‘He placed him in the garden of Eden to till it and
keep it.’8 The act of tilling and the act of keeping are one
and the same thing. In tilling there is a certain exercise of

2 1 Peter 3.1.

3 1 Tim. 2.14.

4 Cf. Gen. 2.18.

5 1 Cor. 11.3.

6 1 Peter 3.7.

7 Eph. 5.32.

8 Gen. 2.15.

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man’s virtue, while in keeping it is understood that the work
is accomplished, for protection implies something completed.
These two acts are required of man. In this way, it is gener¬
ally assumed, man can seek after something new and may
keep what he has acquired. Philo, on the other hand,
limited his interpretation of this Scriptural passage to its
moral aspect, since, because of his Jewish tendencies, he
did not understand its spiritual import. He maintained
that the two aspects were those of tilling the fields and
of protecting the home. Although, he said, Paradise did
not require labor in the fields, the first man, even in Paradise,
undertook a kind of toil so as to furnish a law for future
ages by which to bind us to the performance and to the
preservation of our bounden duty and to the function of
supporting hereditary succession.9 Both these point of view,
the moral and the spiritual, are exacted of you. The pro¬
phetic psalm instructs you regarding this: ‘Unless the Lord
build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Unless the
Lord keep the city, they watch in vain that keepeth it.’10
It is obvious that the laborers are those who engage in the
actual operation of building, while the watchers are those
to whom the duty of protecting the perfected work is
entrusted. Hence the Lord said to the Apostles, as if they
were on the point of perfecting their work: ‘Watch and
pray that you may not enter into temptation.’11 By this He
meant that the function of a nature that was perfected
along with the grace of abundant virtue should be preserved
and that no one, even one who has attained some perfection,
ought to feel really secure of himself unless he remains
vigilant.

9 Cf. Philo, Quaestiones in Gen. 1.14 (found in a Latin translation
from the Armenian) ; see Colson and Whitaker, Philo, suppl. vol. I.
10 Ps. 126.1.
it Matt. 26.41.

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304

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Chapter 5

(26) ‘And the Lord God commanded the man thus:
‘from every tree of the garden thou shalt eat, but of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for the
day you eat of it you shall die.’1 Why did He use the singular
‘thou shalt eat’ when He bade them eat of every tree, and,
again, when He bade them eat of the tree of good and evil,
why did He use the plural ‘You shall not eat’? This is no
trifling question. This problem can, in fact, be solved by
the authority of the Scriptures if you study them carefully.
Scripture refers to something good and something that should
be done. What is good is naturally associated with what
should be done. On the other hand, what is base is separate
and unrelated to what should be done. And so the Lord,
aiming always at oneness, gave orders in accordance with
this principle. Hence He achieves oneness who ‘has made
both one’2 — He not only made both one, for He bade us
to be ‘one body and one Spirit.’3 ‘The first-born of every
creature,’4 since He is in union with the faith, is always
closely joined to the Father, because ‘the Word was with
God.’5 Wherefore He says: ‘I and the Father are one,’6 in
order to show His union with the Father in majesty and in
dignity. But He bade us to be one and transfused into us
by the adoption of grace the likeness of His own nature and
His own oneness, saying: ‘Father, that they may be one,
even as we are one, I in them and thou in me.’7 When He

1 Gen. 2.16.

2 Eph. 2.14.

3 Eph. 4.4.

4 Col. 1.15.

5 John 1.1.

6 John 10.30.

7 John 17.22.

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PARADISE

305

prescribes a good, therefore, He does it to one person, saying,
‘Thou shalt eat,’ for the oneness cannot be gainsaid. Where,
however, He says that the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil should not be tasted, He speaks in effect to several
people: ‘You shall not eat.’ What has been prohibited has
general application to several people. But I have another
opinion on this matter. I am able to discover the meaning
of what we are discussing in the very words of God Himself.
Adam alone was bidden to taste of every tree and it was
foreseen that he would follow that injunction. In the plural
sense, and not in the singular, God sees that the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil should not be tasted. He knew
that the woman would sin. Thus, by using the plural, God
points out that they will not follow the injunction, because,
where there are many, there are differences of opinion.

(27) If we look into the sense of the words as expressed in
the Septuagint,8 the meaning is clear. Symmachus, however,
takes both expressions in a singular sense. This is explained
by the fact that in the Law, God, addressing His people,
uses the singular: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one
Lord’ and ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.’9 I am not
influenced by the interpretation of Symmachus, who could
not see the oneness of the Father and Son, although at times
both he and Asylas admitted it in their discussions. The fact
that God addresses in the singular number a people who
will later contravene His commands should not lead us to
think that I am dissenting from my former statement,
inasmuch as the Jewish people, regarded as a single person,
violated the injunctions imposed upon them. We have here
a law of the Spirit whereby God addresses the people in

8 The Vulgate has the singular form: ne comedas; the Septuagint
has the plural: ou <pdy8O0£.

9 Deut. 6.4,5.

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306

SAINT AMBROSE

divine language. In this case we should consider not so much
the words as their prophetic import. Wherefore He says:
‘Thou shalt not boil a kid in the milk of his dam.’10

(28) From this point on, the celestial precepts present
no great difficulty. However, there has been raised by several
authors a question which we ought to answer lest simple
minds be led astray by erroneous interpretation. Many
authors, like Apelles in his thirty-eighth volume,11 propose
the following questions. How is it, for example, that the tree
of life has more power for giving life than the breath of God?
Again, if man is not made perfect by God and each person
acquired by his own effort a more perfect state of virtue
for himself, does it not seem that man would gain for himself
more than God had bestowed on him? Then they make
the objection that, if man had not tasted death, he certainly
could not be aware of what he had not tasted. What man
had not tasted was something unknown to him. Accordingly,
he could not be afraid of that of which he had no knowledge.
To no purpose, therefore, did God inflict death as a punish¬
ment on men for whom it holds no fear.

(29) We should be aware of the fact, therefore, that
where God has planted a tree of life He has also planted a
tree of life in the midst of Paradise. It is understood that
He planted it in the middle. Therefore, in the middle of
Paradise there was both a tree of life and a cause for death.
Keep in mind that man did not create life. By carrying
out and observing the precepts of God it was possible for
man to find life. This was the life mentioned by the Apostle :
‘Your life is hidden with Christ in God.’12 Man, therefore,
was, figuratively speaking, either in the shadow of life —

10 Exod. 34.26.

11 Apelles; cf. Harnack, TV 6.3.116.

12 Col. 3.3.

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because our life on earth is but a shadow— or man had life,
as it were, in pledge, for he had been breathed on by God.
He had, therefore, a pledge of immortality, but while in
the shadow of life he was unable, by the usual channels of
sense, to see and attain the hidden life of Christ with God.
Although not yet a sinner, he was not possessed of an incor¬
rupt and inviolable nature. Of course, one who afterwards
lapsed into sin was far from being as yet in the category of
sinner. Hence, he was in the shadow of life, whereas sinners
are in the shadow of death. According to Isaias, the people
who sinned sat in the shadow of death.13 For these a light
arose, not by the merits of their virtues, but by the grace
of God. There is no distinction, therefore, between the breath
of God and the food of the tree of life. No man can say that
he can acquire more by his own efforts than what is granted
him by the generosity of God. Would that we had been able
to hold on to what we had received! Our toils avail only
to the extent that we take back again what was once con¬
ferred on us. The third objection, that one who has not
tasted death cannot fear it, finds its solution in our common
experience. There is an instinct innate in all living creatures
which impels them to dread even what they have not yet
experienced as harmful. Why is it that doves, even at the
moment of their birth, are terrorized at the sight of a hawk?
Why are wolves dreaded by sheep and hawks by chickens?
In irrational animals there is a certain innate fear of creatures
of a different species to the extent that, even though these
animals are irrational, they have a feeling that death is
something to be shunned. Such being the case, how true is
it that the first man, fully and indubitably endowed with
reason, should be conscious of the fact that death is something
to be avoided!

13 Isa. 9.2.

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Chapter 6

(30) There are some, again, who suggest for solution
difficulties such as the following. For example, they maintain
that refusal to obey an order is not always wrong. If the
order is a good one, then the act of obeying is commendable.
But if the order is a wicked one, it is not feasible to obey it.
Therefore, it is not always wrong to disobey an order, but
it is wrong to refuse to obey an order that is good. The tree
of the knowledge of good and evil is a creation that is good,
since God had knowledge of good and evil. Hence He says:
‘Indeed ! The man has become like one of us.’1 If, therefore,
possessing the knowledge of good and evil is good and if
what God has is a good, it would appear that the prohibition
to prevent man from making use of it is not a righteous one.
Such is their argument. But, if they were to realize the real
significance and force of the word ‘knowledge’ as they
should — ‘The Lord knew who belong to him,’ ‘that is, He
knew those surely among whom He dwells and walks, who
were made one out of so many — then certainly these people
would know that knowledge is not to be interpreted merely
as superficial comprehension, but as the carrying out of
what ought to be accomplished. Man ought to obey the
command. A failure to obey is a violation of duty. The man,
therefore, who disobeys falls into error because violation of
duty is a sin. Even if these people should agree to a modified
meaning of the word ‘knowledge’ and consider that an
imperfect comprehension of good and evil was prohibited,
in that respect, too, there is a violation of duty in not com¬
plying with the command. The Lord God has made it clear
that even an imperfect comprehension of good and evil
should be prohibited.

1 Gen. 3.32.

2 Num. 16.5; 2 Tim. 2.19.

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(31) Another problem: The man who does not know
good and evil differs in no respect from a little child. A
judge who is just does not consider a child to be guilty of
crime. The just Creator of the world would never have
found fault with a child for his lack of knowledge of good
and evil, because a child cannot be charged with a violation
of a law. In the preceding passage, however, we have said
that, once you accept the fact that there is a knowledge that
is imperfect, then knowledge of good and evil may be taken
in two senses. It is certainly false to hold that the man who
does not know good and evil is not different from a child. If
it is wrong to maintain that such a man does not differ from
a child, then Adam is not to be thought of as a child. If
he was not a child, then surely he is liable to sin, inasmuch
as he is not a child. If he is subject to sin, then punishment
follows the sin, because the man who cannot avoid sin is
reckoned to be liable to punishment. It can even happen
that the person who has no knowledge of good and evil may
not be a child: ‘For before the child knew good and evil,
he refused the evil.’ Again we read: ‘For before the child
knew to call his father and mother, he will receive the
strength of Damascus and the toils of Samaria.’3 Perfect,
therefore, is the man who performs a good deed even if he
has not attained the knowledge of good and evil, just as
‘many are a law to themselves’4 even before they know
the Law. Was the Apostle before he learned: ‘Thou shalt
not lust,’ quite unaware that concupiscence was a sin? On
this point he says: ‘I did not know sin save through the
Law. For I had not known lust unless the Law had said,
“Thou shalt not lust.” ’5 Even a child can become by the law
of nature perfect in that respect before he knows that con-

3 Isa. 7.16; 8.4.

4 Rom. 214.

5 Exod. 20.17; Rom. 7.7.

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310

SAINT AMBROSE

cupiscence is a sin or admit the sin of concupiscence. Hence,
God willed that man know the nature of evil in a superficial
fashion lest, being imperfect, he may be unable to avoid
evil. By not obeying a command we are subject to blame.
We are thus led to admit our error. Again, if we are referring
to a very profound knowledge of good and evil which in
itself makes for perfection . . .6 A little child is not, like a
grown-up, immediately to be chastised, because he has not
yet reached a capacity to understand.

(32) Again, more criticisms crop up.7 There is the
objection that a person who does not know good and evil
is unaware that disobedience to a command is in itself
an evil, nor is he aware that that obedience to a command
is itself a good. Hence it is argued that the person who is
in this respect ignorant is deserving, not of condemnation,
but of pardon. What we have already maintained above
presents a ready solution to this problem. Man is capable
of realizing that the utmost deference should be given to his
Maker because of what God had already conferred on him,
namely, the fact that God had breathed on him and that
he was placed in the Garden of Delight. Wherefore, if he
was ignorant of the meaning of good and evil, neverthe¬
less, since the Creator of such mighty things had declared
that one should not eat of the tree of good and evil, loyal
adherence should be given to Him who gave the command.
It was not a question of technical knowledge, but of fidelity.
He certainly was aware that God was in a position of pre¬
eminence and, as such, heed should be paid to His command.
Although he did not understand the precise significance of
the commands, he was conscious of the fact that deference
should be paid to the person of the Commander. This con¬
viction on his part stemmed from nature. He was as yet

6 Schenkl points to a lacuna in the manuscript here.

7 From Apelles; cf. Harnack, op. cit.

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PARADISE

311

incapable of discriminating between good and evil. Wherefore
the woman answers the serpent: ‘Of the fruit of all the trees
in the garden we shall eat, but of the fruit in the middle
of the garden, God said, you shall not eat of it.’8 She knew,
therefore, that the command must be obeyed. Hence she
said: We shall eat of every fruit which the Lord ordered,
but God has given an order that one should not eat of the
tree in the middle of the Garden, lest he die. Wherefore,
she who knew that the command should be obeyed was
surely aware that it was wrong not to comply with the
command and that she would be justly condemned for her
refusal to obey.

(33) One more point. The circumstances connected with
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were such as to
convince us that both good and evil were recognized. We
are led to believe from the evidence of Scripture that such
was the case: ‘When they both ate, their eyes were opened
and they realized that they were naked,’9 that is, the eyes of
their mind were opened and they realized the shame of
being naked. For that reason, when the woman ate of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil she certainly sinned
and realized that she had sinned. On realizing this, she
should not have invited her husband to share in her sin. By
enticing him and by giving him what she herself had tasted
she did not nullify her sin; rather, she repeated it. Certainly
it stands to reason that she did intend to lure the person
whom she loved to share in her punishment. She should be
expected to ward off from one who was unaware of it the
danger of falling into a sin of which she had knowledge.
Yet this woman, knowing that she could not remain in
Paradise after the Fall, seems to have had a fear that she
alone would be ejected from the Garden. Hence, after the

8 Gen. 3.2,3.

9 Gen. 3.6,7.

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312

SAINT AMBROSE

Fall, they both went into hiding. Being aware, therefore,
that she would have to be separated from the man she loved,
she had no desire to be deceived.

(34) Another point. Knowledge of evil does not make
evil. An act is necessary to complete its conditions. There
is no immediate connection between the knower of what is
evil and the doer. He is guilty who does what he knows to
be evil. Either anger or cupidity is the customary means of
arousing a person to perform an evil act. It does not neces¬
sarily follow that one who has knowledge of evil, unless he
is the victim of anger or cupidity, will do what he knows is
wrong. To repeat what we have said, the incentives to sin
are anger and cupidity. To these we may add extreme fear,
which itself may give rise to cupidity, inasmuch as everyone
is anxious to avoid what is the cause of his fear. With reason,
therefore, have we established that the incentives to the
other vices are anger and cupidity. Let us consider, then,
whether Eve was aroused to wrong-doing by these incen¬
tives. She was not angry with her consort. She was not
a victim of cupidity. Again, she merely erred in giving her
husband to eat of what she had already tasted. Cupidity
had been at first responsible for her error in inducing him
to eat and it was the occasion for the subsequent sin. This
can be explained in the following way. She was unable to
desire what she had already eaten and, after eating she
acquired a knowledge of evil. She ought not, therefore, have
made her husband a partaker of the evil of which she was
conscious; neither should she have caused her own husband
to violate the divine command. She sinned, therefore, with
forethought, and knowingly made her husband a participant
in her own wrong-doing. If it were not so, what is related of
the tree of knowledge of good and evil would be found to
be in error, if it were established that, after she ate of that
tree, she was without knowledge of evil. But, if what Scripture

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PARADISE

313

says is true, cupidity was the motive of her act. Many,
however, are of the opinion that she should be excused for
the reason that, because she loved her husband, she was afraid
that she would be separated from him. They offer this as
grounds for her cupidity: namely, that she desired to be
with her husband.

Chapter 7

(35) Still another problem arises.1 From what source did
death come to Adam? Was it from the nature of a tree of
this sort or actually from God? If we ascribe this to the
nature of the tree, then the fruit of this tree seems to be
superior to the vivifying power of the breath of God, since
its fruit had drawn into death’s toils him on whom the
divine breath had bestowed life. If we maintain that God is
the responsible cause of death, then we can be held to accuse
Him of inconsistency. We seem to accuse Him of being so
devoid of beneficence as to be unwilling to pardon when He
had the power to do so, or of being powerless if He was
unable to forgive. Let us see, therefore, how this question
can be resolved. The solution, unless I am mistaken, lies
in the fact that, since disobedience was the cause of death,
for that very reason, not God, but man himself, was the
agent of his own death. If, for example, a physician were
to prescribe to a patient what he thought should be avoided,
and if the patient felt that these prohibitions were unneces¬
sary, the physician is not responsible for the patient’s death.
Surely in that case the patient is guilty of causing his own
death. Hence, God as a good physician forbade Adam to
eat what would be injurious to him.

(36) Another point. To know what is good is better than

1 From Apelles; cf. Harnack, op. cit.

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314

SAINT AMBROSE

to be ignorant of it. It is fitting that a person who knows
what is good know, also, what is evil, in order that he may
know the means to avoid it and, by taking the necessary
precautions, that he may act with discretion. Again, it is not
sufficient to know merely what is evil, lest, although you
know what is evil, you may find yourself deprived of what is
good. It is best, therefore, that we know both so that, since
we know what is good, we may avoid evil. Again, from the
fact that we are aware of evil we may give our preference
to the charm of what is good. Moreover, we ought to know
both so that our knowledge may be profound and so that
we may put in practice what we know, act and acknowledge
to be in perfect balance. Besides, Scripture points out that
more is expected of him who has general knowledge of both
than of him who is ignorant of them.2 Knowledge of what
you cannot achieve or avoid is a grievous thing. Grievous,
too, is knowledge which is not put into practice and into
operation to its fullest extent. Without knowledge of what
is harmful or beneficial to a patient and without the power
of being able to utilize to the best advantage that knowledge,
a physician is likely to act in such a way as to lose his
reputation. Hence, knowledge is not salutary unless it is put
into practice in the best possible way.

(37) Still another point. Not without reason was the tree
of knowledge of good and evil grown in the middle of the
Garden, and the prohibition against it was unnecessary if
it was grown for each and every man. This tree was
designed for the use of just one man, who received the
command that he make use not only of that tree, but of
the other trees besides. You can find many, even countless,
instances in which a person can, because of ignorance of
procedure, suffer real harm. Wealth itself will be found to
be unprofitable to a rich man if he refuses to act in a

2 Cf. Luke 13.47,48.

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PARADISE

315

generous fashion toward the poor. He may shut out the
needy and deprive them of assistance and, because of his
superior powers, he may extort for his own purpose what
belongs to another. The very possession of beauty and of
physical charm is more likely than deformity to lead one to
vice. For that reason, therefore, does anyone desire to have
children who are unsightly rather than handsome? Or desire
their offspring to be poverty-stricken rather than well-to-do?
There are many instances of this sort which are not to be
ascribed to the lack of wisdom in the giver, but to the
person who misuses the gifts. The fault lies not so much in
the person who makes the gifts as in the person who makes
use of them.

Chapter 8

(38) Another problem.1 Did God know that Adam would
violate His commands? Or was He unaware of it? If He
did not know, we are faced with a limitation of His divine
power. If He knew, yet gave a command which He was
aware would be ignored, it is not God’s providence to give
an unnecessary order. It was in the nature of a superfluous
act to give to Adam, the first created being, a command
which He knew would not at all be observed. But God
does nothing superfluous. Therefore, the words of Scripture
do not come from God. This is the objection of those who
do not, by interposing these questions, admit the authen¬
ticity of the Old Testament. But these people are to be
condemned out of their own mouths. Since these same
persons concede the authenticity of the New Testament,
they must be convinced by evidence to believe in the Old.
If they see that God is consistent in His commands and in

1 From Apelles.

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316

SAINT AMBROSE

His deeds, it is clear that they must concede that both
Testaments are the work of one Author. The following
example should convince them that a command to one
who will disobey is not something superfluous or unjust.
The Lord Himself close Judas, one who, He knew, would
betray Him. If these men think that he was chosen unwisely,
they restrict the power of God. But they cannot hold this
opinion, since Scripture declares: ‘For Jesus knew who it
was who should betray him.’2 These defamers of the Old
Testament should therefore hold their peace.

(39) Possible objections on the part of the Gentiles who
do not admit this evidence stand in need of a response.
Since the Gentiles demand a rational explanation, here is
the reason why the Son of God either gave a command to
one who is going to disobey it or has chosen one who is
going to betray Him. The Lord Jesus came to save all
sinners.3 He was bound to show concern even for the wicked.
Accordingly, He was bound not to disregard one who was to
betray Him. He wished that all might take note that in the
choice even of His betrayer He was offering a sign for the
salvation of all of us. No injury was done to Adam in that
he received a command, or to Judas because he was chosen.
God did not lay it down as a necessary consequence that
one should disobey and the other should betray Him. Both
could have abstained from sin If they had guarded what
they had received. Hence, although He knew that all the
Jews would not believe, He stated: ‘I have not come except
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’4 The fault is, there¬
fore, not in the one issuing the command; the sin is rather
in the one who disobeys. God’s intent was this: He wanted
to show to everyone that He willed to give freedom to all

2 John 6.65.

3 Cf. Luke 19.10.

4 Matt. 15.24.

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PARADISE

317

mankind. I do not mean to maintain that He did not know
of the disobedience to come. Rather, I contend that He did
know, but that He should not for that reason be subject to
reproach for a betrayer who met death. God should not
be accused of being the cause why both lapsed. In fact,
both stand convicted and condemned, because one received
a command not to fall into sin, and the other was enrolled
among the Apostles in order that he, as the result of kindness,
might change his intention to betray. At some time in the
future when the other Apostles would be found wanting, he
might well become a source of comfort to all. In effect,
there would not exist any sin if there were no prohibition.
Without the existence of sin there would be no such thing
as wrong-doing or, perhaps, even virtue, which could not
have any cause for existence or for pre-eminence without
the aid of unrighteousness to offset it. What is sin, if not
the violation of divine law and the disobedience to heavenly
precepts? Not by the ear, but by the mind, do we form a
judgment regarding injunction from above. But with the
Word of God before us we are able to formulate opinions on
what is good and what is evil. One of these we naturally
understand should be, as evil, avoided, and the other we
understand has been recommended to us as a good. In
this respect we Seem to be listening to the very voice of the
Lord, whereby some things are forbidden and other things
are advised. If a person does not comply with the injunctions
which are believed to have been once ordained by God, he
is considered to be liable to punishment. The commands
of God are impressed in our hearts by the Spirit of the
living God. We do not read these orders as if they were
recorded in ink on a tablet of stone.5 Hence, in our own
thought we formulate a law: ‘For if the Gentiles who have
no law do by nature what the law prescribes, those having

5 2 Cor. 3.3.

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318

SAINT AMBROSE

no law of this kind are a law unto themselves. They show
the work of the law written in their hearts.’6 There is
something, therefore, like the Law of God which exists in
the hearts of men.

(40) These same people raise another objection. Instead
of that command which we said was established in the
mind of man, they would maintain that this very impression
in our minds by God was itself the prescription of a divine
law. The question is raised: Did the Creator of man know
that man would fall into sin and so implanted those opinions
of what is good and evil in the mind of man or was He
unaware that this would happen? If you concede that He
did not know of it, you attribute to God something alien to
His majesty. If, on the other hand, you maintain that,
although God was aware that man would sin, He impressed
in man’s mind a realization of what is good and evil, so
that he would be unable, because of the admixture of evil,
to live forever — then in one case you imply that God was
not prescient and in the other that He was not beneficent.
From this the conclusion is reached that man was not the
creation of God. We have already stated that these men
maintain that God had not imposed a command. Now they
say that man was not created by God, because God did not
create evil. Man, on the other hand, had a mental con¬
ception of evil, inasmuch as he was enjoined to abstain from
evil. In this way they venture to assert that there were two
gods: one who is good; the other, the Creator of man.
We must follow the lines of their own logic in formulating
our reply. If they hold that man was not made by God,
because man is a sinner, and if they recoil from conceding
this point, lest a good God may not seem to the creator of
sinners (because they do not believe that God is good who
made a sinner) — then let them declare whether this artificer

6 Rom. 2.14.15.

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of man has in their opinion also been made by God? If, as
they state, this artificer of man was created by God, how
can it be possible that a God who is good is also the agent
of evil? If the creator of a sinner is not good, then more
serious implications result if we postulate the maker of him
who is the artificer of a sinner. A God who is good is bound
to prevent the birth of him who shall have to introduce the
substance of sin. But if they maintain that this artificer was
not created, than the problem arises as to whether a God
who is good could or could not in any way prevent the
growth of evil. If such a God cannot do this, then He is
powerless. Inasmuch as such inconsistencies follow our line
of argumentation and since the heretics get involved here,
also, let us attempt a solution of the problem of why God
allowed adversity to enter into this world through an artificer
who either did or did not spring from Him, although He
had the power to prevent it.

(41) Accordingly, while still holding that the God who
is good and the one who is the artificer are one and the
same, let us make clear what are the provinces of each. We
should at the same time try to meet the objections of those
who raise such a question as this: How is it possible that a
God who is good has permitted not only adversity to enter
this world but has allowed it, too, to be in such a state of
disorder?7 In truth, this objection would be valid only if
this evil so affected the nature of our soul and the secret
places of our hearts that riddance was impossible and if,
again, this poison had left such deep wounds in our hearts
and souls that medication was of no avail.8 In fact, this
grievance of theirs could be more aptly expressed by stating
that, although God is omnipotent, He has permitted man
to die. But since God in His pity has reserved for us the

7 From Apelles.

8 Cf. Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.190.

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means of obtaining remedy for our sins and still has not rid
us of all possibilities of contagion, then let us reflect on the
following points. Would it be an unjust and unreasonable
act if God, fearful, as it were, of man’s frailty and mortality,
permitted us to be tempted in such wise that, through peni¬
tence for our sins, grace compounded would return once
more to our hearts? Again, would it be unjust if man,
conscious and fearful of his own frailty (since he found that
he could so easily deviate from the orderly path of divine
commands) and fearful, too, lest he let loose these heavenly
mandates which like a helm guide his soul — would it be
unjust if man should finally attribute the recovery of the
helm to divine pity and by his safe return acquire some
grace as well?

Chapter 9

(42) Now let us investigate the reason why God con¬
sidered that a command should be given concerning the
two classes of trees: the one to be eaten and the other which
it was forbidden to eat. Thus, He laid down to man injunc¬
tions on the ways of attaining that wonderful and happy life,
following which he might not have to suffer death. There
are some who think that is was totally inappropriate for the
Creator of heaven and earth and of all things to lay down
that command and that it was definitely unsuited to the
inhabitants of Paradise, because life there was like that of
the angels. And so we can conclude that the food provided
for eating there was not earthly and corruptible, because
those who do not drink or eat ‘will be as the angels in heaven.’
There is no merit, therefore, in food, because food does not
commend us to God. Neither is there great danger therein,
because ‘what goes into the mouth does not defile a man,
but it is what comes out of the mouth.’1 Undoubtedly, then,

1 Matt. 22.30; 15.11.

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PARADISE

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it would appear that the precept [is quite unworthy] of such
a great Creator unless you take this food to mean prophetic
food, because as a great reward the Lord makes this promise
to His saints: ‘Behold my servants shall eat and you shall
be hungry.’2 This is the food that makes for eternal life.
Whoever is deprived of this will suffer death, since the Lord
Himself is the living and heavenly Bread which gives life to
this world. Hence He speaks: ‘Unless you eat my flesh and
drink my blood you shall not have life eternal.’3 The bread
was, therefore, meant for a certain person. Instructions were
given that it should be eaten be the inhabitants of Paradise
Who is that person? We are told who that person is: ‘Man ate
the bread of angels.’4 The bread is good if you do the will
of God. Do you wish to know how good that bread was?
The Son of God Himself eats of that bread of which He
says: ‘My food is to do the will of my father who is in
heaven.’5

(43) Again, let us see why the Lord God said to Adam:
‘Ye shall die the death.’ What is the difference between
saying ‘ye shall die’ and ‘ye shall die the death’? We ought
to point out that there is nothing superfluous in the com¬
mand of God. Here is my solution. Since life and death are
contradictory ideas, in unaffected language we say ‘we live
in life’ and ‘die in death.’ But, if you wish, since life causes
life, to double the force of the two concepts, the phrase
‘he lives a life’ is found in legal documents, and, since
death causes death, there is the statement: ‘He shall die the
death.’6 These expressions are not redundant, for life is
related to death and death to life, because everyone living

2 Isa. 65.13.

3 John 6.50; cf. 6.54.

4 Ps. 77.25.

5 John 4.34.

6 Ezech. 33.14-16.

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dies while he is alive and lives when he dies. We find, there¬
fore four categories: to live in life, to die in death, to die in
life, to live in death. Since such is the case, we should put
aside prejudices due to use and custom, for usage prescribes
that the act of dying should be said without distinction of
him who dies by death and of him who does so by his life.
Accordingly, the Lord selects two of these four distinctive
phrases so as to say that the living live, with qualifications
as to whether well or ill, and the dying die, without a seeming
difference between a good death and a bad one. There is no
precise difference in fact between the kind of life or death
here referred to. It could include that of irrational creatures
or of tiny infants.

(44) Putting aside, therefore, conceptions due to common
usage, let us reflect on the meaning of ‘to live in life’ and
‘to die in death’ and also ‘to live in death’ and ‘to die in
life.’ I believe that, in accord with the Scriptures, ‘to live
in life’ signifies a wonderful life of happiness and that it
seems to point toward an experience of life’s natural functions
joined and, by participation, mingled with the grace of a
blessed life. This concept, ‘to live in life,’ means ‘to live in
virtue,’ to bring about in the life of this body of ours a
participation in the life of blessedness. On the other hand,
what does ‘to die in death’ mean if not the disintegration of
the body at the time of death, when the flesh is devoid
of its customary function of carrying on life and the soul
is unable to partake in life eternal? There is also the person
who ‘dies in life,’ that is to say, one who is alive in body
but, because of his acts, is dead. These are the people
who, as the Prophet says: ‘Go down alive into hell,’ and
she of whom the Apostle speaks: ‘For she is dead while
she is still alive.’7 There remains the fourth category, for

7 Ps. 54.16; 1 Tim. 5.6.

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there are those who ‘live in death’ like the holy martyrs
who give up their lives so that they may live. The flesh
dies, but what is good does survive. Far from us, there¬
fore, be the thought of living as participants in death.
On the contrary, we should face death and thus become
sharers in life. The saint does not desire to be a participant
in this life of ours when he states: ‘To be dissolved and
be with Christ.’8 This has been much better stated by
another: ‘Woe to me that my sojourning has been pro¬
longed,’9 in grief certainly that he is limited by the fragility
of this life, since he hopes for a share in life eternal.
Wherefore I can, on the other hand, state that, although
‘to live in life’ is a good thing, ‘to live for life’ would
be of doubtful benefit. One can speak of ‘living for life,’
that is, for the life of eternity with its struggle with the
life of the body. One can also speak of ‘living for life’ in
another sense. Anyone, even a pious person, can have a
desire for this corporeal life of ours. We can take the
example of one who thinks that he ought to live so virtu¬
ously as to arrive by his good actions at a ripe old age.
Many people who are in weak health, but who still find
life a pleasureable thing, are in this category.

(45) Now that we have examined the meaning of the
phrase, ‘to live for life,’ let us now turn attention to the
significance of the phrases, ‘to die for death’ and ‘to live
for death,’ for it is possible to conceive of people who
‘die for death’ and who ‘live for life.’ For the person who
‘dies for or to death’ is one who so lives as to live for
the sake of his own soul, because he is not subject to
death. We mean by this one who has been loosed from
the bonds of grievous death and one who is not bound
by the chains of death eternal. He is dead to death, that

8 Phil. 1.23.

9 Ps. 119.5.

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324

SAINT AMBROSE

is, he is dead to sin. He is dead to punishment for whom
living is contrary to punishment, that is, when a person
lives for punishment he lives for death. Again, one who
dies for punishment dies for death. There is also the case
of one who, although placed in this life, dies for life. Such
was the situation of the Apostle who said: It is now no
longer I that live, but Christ in me.’10 To sin he is dead,
but he lives for God, that is, death in him is dead, but
living in him is that life which is the Lord Jesus. Good,
therefore, is the life of those who live for God and wicked
the life of those who live for sin. There is also a middle
course of life, as in the case of other living creatures, for
which we may cite the Scriptural passage: ‘Let the earth
bring forth the living creature in its kind.’11 There is also
the life of the dead: ‘The God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac and the God of Jacob,’ because ‘He is not the God
of the dead but of the living.’12 There are those who par¬
take somewhat in both lives, that of the living and of the
dead, of whom the Apostle speaks: ‘If ye have died with
him, ye shall also live with him.’13 The same Apostle has
said: ‘For if we have been united with him in the likeness
of death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection
also. For we know that our old self has been crucified with
him, in order that the body of sin may be destroyed, that
we may no longer be slaves to sin, for he who is dead is
aquitted of sin.’14 Just as we have said that there are many
forms of life, so, too, we may discover many forms of death.
An evil death is recorded in the words, ‘The soul that
sinneth, the same shall die.’15 The usual meaning of death

10 Gal. 2.20.

11 Gen. 1.24.

12 Exod. 3.6; Luke 20.37; Mark. 12.26.

13 2 Tim. 2.11.

14 Rom. 6.5-8.

15 Ezech. 18.20.

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PARADISE

325

appears when we say that a person lived so many years and
was laid among his fathers.10 There is the meaning of death
as we have it in the sacrament of baptism: ‘For we were
buried with him by means of baptism into death.’ Elsewhere
we read: ‘For if we have died with Christ, we believe also
that we shall live together with him.’17 You see how the
word ‘death’ is subject to manifold interpretation, but that
this life here is ours to contend with.

Chapter 10

(46) Still another question arises, that concerning the
saying of the Lord: ‘It is not good for man to be alone.’1
Recognize the fact, first of all, that, when God created man
from the slime of the earth, He did not add: ‘God saw that
it was good,’2 as He did in the case of each of His works.
If He had said at that time that the creation of man was
good, then the other statement that ‘it is not good’ would
be a contradiction in terms, although He had said that the
creation of what preceded the formation of man was good.
That was the situation at the time of the creation of Adam.
But, when He perceived that man and woman were joined
together in creation, He did not treat each even then in a
special manner, for He soon after states: ‘God saw that all
he had ever made was very good.3 The meaning is clear.
The creation of both man and woman is considered to be
good.

(47) From this question another problem arises. How

16 Cf. Acts 13.36.

17 Rom. 6.4,8.

1 Gen. 2.18.

2 Gen. 1.14.

3 Gen. 1.31.

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326

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did it happen that, when Adam alone was created, it was
not said that it was good, but when a woman also was made,
then are we to understand that everything was good? Whereas
God in one case commended the whole of creation, as well
as every creature in it (including man who is held to be a
part of nature), a special reference to man did not then
seem necessary. Wherefore, when Adam alone was created,
an assertion that this work was good was not thought to
be by any means a fitting climax to a satisfactory achieve¬
ment. It was said, moreover, that it was not good for man
to be alone. Yet we know that Adam did not commit sin
before woman was created. However, after creation, she
was the first to disobey the divine command and even allured
her husband to sin. If, therefore, the woman is responsible
for the sin, how then can her accession be considered a
good? But, if you consider that the universe is in the care
of God, then you will discover this fact, namely, that the
Lord must have gained more pleasure for Himself in being
responsible for all creation than condemnation from us for
providing the basis for sin. Accordingly, the Lord declared
that is was not good for man to be alone, because the human
race could not have been propagated from man alone. God
preferred the existence of more than one whom He would be
able to save than to have to confine this possibility to one
man who was free from error. Inasmuch as He is the
Author of both man and woman, He came into this world
to redeem sinners. Finally, He did not permit Cain, a man
accused of parricide, to perish before he brought forth
sons.4 For the sake, therefore, of the successive generations
of men it followed that woman had to be joined to man.
Thus we must interpret the very words of God when He
said the it was not good for man to be alone. If the woman

4 Gen. 4.15-17.

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PARADISE

327

was to be the first one to sin, the fact that she was the one
destined to bring forth redemption must not be excluded
from the operations of Divine Providence. Although ‘Adam
was not deceived, the woman was deceived and was in sin.
Yet woman, we are told, ‘will be saved by childbearing,’5
in the course of which she generated Christ.

(48) Not without significance, too, is the fact that woman
was made out of the rib of Adam. She was not made of
the same earth with which he was formed, in order that we
might realize that the physical nature of both man and
woman is identical and that there was one source for the
propagation of the human race. For that reason, neither
was man created together with a woman, nor were two
men and two women created at the beginning, but first a
man and after that a woman. God willed it that human
nature be established as one. Thus, from the very inception
of the human stock He eliminated the possibility that many
disparate natures should arise. He said: ‘Let us make him
a helper like himself.’6 We understand that to mean a helper
in the generation of the human family — a really good helper.
If we take the word ‘helper’ in a good sense, then the
woman’s co-operation turns out to be something of major
import in the process of generation, just as the earth by
receiving, confining, and fostering the seed causes it to grow
and produce fruit in time. In that respect, therefore, woman
is a good helper even through in an inferior position. We
find examples of this in our own experience. We see how
men in high and important offices often enlist the help of
men who are below them in rank and esteem.

5 1 Tim. 2.14.

6 Gen. 2.18.

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328

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Chapter 11

(49) Examine, now, the reason why God had by this
time created out of the earth ‘all the beasts of the field and
all the birds of the air’ and brought them to Adam to see
what he would call them. How account for the fact that
God brought merely the beasts of the field and the birds of
the air to Adam? Animals were there, we know, each
according to its kind. And so it is related further on:
‘Adam named all the animals and all the beasts of the
field, but he found no helper like himself.’1 How can we
explain this other than by saying that the untamed beasts
and the birds of the air were brought to man by divine
power, while man himself held power over the beasts that
were tame and domesticated? The former lay within the
province of God’s activity. The latter were due to the dili¬
gence of man. Besides this, there is a reason why everything
was brought to Adam. In this way he would be able to see
that nature in every aspect is constituted of two sexes :
male and female. Following these observations, he would
become aware that association with a woman was a necessity
of his lot.

(50) ‘And God cast Adam into a deep sleep and he slept.’
What does the phrase ‘deep sleep’ signify? Does it not mean
that when we contemplate a conjugal union we seem to be
turning our eyes gradually in the direction of God’s kingdom?
Do we not seem, as we enter into a vision of this world, to
partake a little of things divine, while we find our repose in
the midst of what is secular and mundane? Hence, after the
statement, ‘He cast Adam into a deep sleep and he slept,’
there follows: ‘The rib which God took from Adam he
built into a woman.’2 The word ‘built’ is well chosen in

1 Gen. 2.19,20.

2 Gen. 2.21,22.

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PARADISE

329

speaking of the creation of a woman because a household,
comprising man and wife, seems to point toward a state
of full perfection. One who is without a wife is regarded as
being without a home. As man is considered to be more
skilful in public duties, so woman is esteemed to be more
adaptable to domestic ministrations. Reflect on the fact that
He did not take a part from Adam’s soul but a rib from
his body, that is to say, not soul from a soul, but ‘bone of
my bone and flesh of my flesh’3 will this woman be called.

(51) Thus we have made clear the cause of the generation
of man. But many who reflect deeply on this question are
disturbed by another problem. How explain the fact that
animals and beasts of the field and birds of the air were in
Paradise, if at the beginning God bestowed this great gift
to men, namely, the privilege of living there and of expect¬
ing afterward that, as a reward of merit, all just men should
be restored to that place? Hence, many hold that by Paradise
is meant the soul of man and that, while man was placed
there as a worker and guardian, certain seeds of virtue
sprouted forth. This may be taken to mean that the mind of
man, whose virtue it is to cultivate the soul intensively, not
only performs its appropriate function, but also acts as a
custodian of the work accomplished. The beasts of the field
and the birds of the air which were brought to Adam are
our irrational senses, because beasts and animals represent
the diverse emotions of the body, whether of the more violent
kind or even of the more temperate. What else are we to
consider the birds of the air if not as representations of our
idle thoughts which, like winged creatures, flit around our
souls and frequently lead us by their varied motions now in
one direction, now in another? Wherefore our faculty of per¬
ception, which in Greek is represented by the word ataBqatc;,

3 Gen. 2.23.

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constitutes the most congenial aid to the work of our minds.
Except for our intellect [voOg,] the mind has been unable
to find another faculty so like itself.

(52) Perhaps you may argue that God is Himself the
Author of error, because He also placed in such a Paradise
entities such as these — I mean the passions of the body and
the vanity of thoughts that are fleeting and empty. Take
note of what He says: ‘Have dominion over the fish of the
sea, the birds of the air and all the animals that crawl upon
the earth.’4 You see that He granted to you the power of
being able to discern by the application of sober logic the
species of each and every object, in order that you may be
induced to form a judgment on all of them. God called
them all to your attention, so that you might realize that
your mind is superior to all of them. Why have you now
willed to make part of yourself and to link close to you what
you have discovered to be a totally alien substance? God
surely has given you a sense of perception, whereby you can
know things in general and can form a judgment about them.
Because you were unable to observe God’s commands you
were deservedly ejected from that fertile Garden. God came
to the realization that you were weak and could not dis¬
criminate. Hence, He spoke to men in their weakness. ‘Do
not judge that you may not be judged.’5 He bade you, there¬
fore, to be obedient to His imposed command, because He
knew that your judgment was weak. If you had not disre¬
garded this order, you would never had run the risk of
wavering in your judgment. And, since you wished to form
a judgment, for that reason He added: ‘Indeed Adam has
become like one of us, knowing good and evil.’6 You desired
to claim judgment as your right. Hence you ought not to

4 Gen. 1.25.

5 Matt. 7.1.

6 Gen. 3.22.

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oppose the penalty for misguided judgment. Nevertheless,
He placed you in such a position outside Paradise that the
recollection of it may never leave you.

(53) Hence the just are caught up into Paradise, just as
Paul ‘was caught up into paradise and heard secret words
that man may not repeat.’7 And if by the vigor of your
mind you are caught up from the first heaven to the second
and from the second heaven to the third, we can explain
it in this way. Each and every man is first of all corporeal;
secondly, he is of a sensual nature; and thirdly, he is spiritual
in that he is carried to the third heaven to behold the bril¬
liance of spiritual grace. ‘The sensual man does not perceive
the things that are of the Spirit.’8 For that reason the ascent
into the third heaven is necessary for him in order that he
may be caught up into Paradise. At this stage, without
incurring danger, you will be caught up, in order that you
may be able to pass judgment on all things, because ‘the
spiritual man judges all things and he himself is judged by
no man.’9 Perchance, although still infirm, you will hear
secret words that man may not repeat. Forbear to reveal
anything and keep in your heart what you shall hear. Paul
the Apostle kept these words in his heart lest he fall and for
a certainty lead others into sin. Or perhaps Paul used the
words ‘that man may not repeat’10 because he was still in
the body, that is to say, because he saw the passions of this
body of ours and because he saw the law of his flesh ‘warring
against the law of his mind.’11 I prefer to take the meaning
in this sense, lest the question of future danger should
seem to be disregarded. That would imply freedom during
our lifetime from the anxiety and dread of snares which

7 2 Cor. 12.4,5.

8 1 Cor. 2.14.

9 1 Cor. 2.15.

10 2 Cor. 12.4.

11 Rom. 7.23.

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might lead to sin in the future. Whoever, therefore, shall
reach upward into Paradise by the exercise of virtue will
hear those hidden and secret words of God. He shall hear,
too, the Lord speaking as to the repentant thief who aban¬
doned his life of thievery for one of faith: ‘This day thou
shalt be with me in paradise.’12

Chapter 12

(54) ‘Now the serpent was more cunning than any of the
beasts of the field which the Lord had made. The serpent
said to the woman: Did God say, you shall not eat of any
tree of the garden?’1 In the statement ‘the serpent was more
cunning’ you understand to whom reference is made. This is
our Adversary, whose wisdom is of this world. Gratification
of pleasure has been fittingly called wisdom, because it is
called the wisdom of the flesh as in the statement, ‘The
wisdom of this flesh is hostile to God.’2 The seekers after
pleasure are shrewd in their choice of means for its gratifi¬
cation. If you understand, therefore, gratification of pleasure
to be, in fact, an act contrary to the divine command and
hostile to our senses, this is in accord with what Paul states:
‘I see another law in my members warring against the law
of my mind and making me prisoner in the law of sin.3 If
you ascribe this to the Devil, what other cause of enmity is
there except envy? As Solomon says: ‘By the envy of the
devil death came into the world.’4 The cause of envy was
the happiness of man placed in Paradise, because the Devil

12 Luke 23.43.

1 Gen. 3.1.

2 Rom. 8.7.

3 Rom. 7.23.

4 Wisd. 2.24.

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could not brook the favors received by man. His envy was
aroused because man, though formed in slime, was chosen
to be an inhabitant of Paradise. The Devil began to reflect
that man was an inferior creature, yet had hopes of an
eternal life, whereas he, a creature of superior nature, had
fallen and had become part of this mundane existence. This
is the substance of his invidious reflection: ‘Will this inferior
acquire what I was unable to keep? Will he leave the earth
and attain heaven, whereas I have fallen to earth thrust
down from heaven? I have many ways and means by which
to deceive man. He was made of slime, earth is his mother,
and he is involved in things corruptible. Although of superior
nature, his soul is nevertheless subject to temptation, since
it exists in the prison house of the body — witness my own
experience in being unable to avoid sin. This, therefore, is
my first approach, namely, to deceive him while he is desir¬
ous of improving his condition. In this way an attempt will
be made to arouse his ambition. The next approach is by
way of the flesh, promising fulfillment of all his desires.
Finally, how else can I appear to be wiser than all men if
not by the exercise of cunning and fraud in my warfare
of entrenchment against man?’ Accordingly, he contrived
not to attack Adam first. Rather, he aimed to circumvent
Adam by means of the woman. He did not accost the man
who had in his presence received the heavenly command.
He accosted her who had learned of it from her husband
and who had not received from God the command which
was to be observed. There is no statement that God spoke
to the woman. We know that he spoke to Adam. Hence we
must conclude that the command was communicated through
Adam to the woman.

(55) The nature of the temptation presented on this
occasion is now clear. In addition to this, there are other
occasions when many other kinds of temptations are in store

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for us. Some of these come from the Prince of this world,
who has vomited into this world what might be called
poisonous wisdom, so that men believe the false to be true
and are emotionally carried away by mere appearance. The
Enemy’s attack is not always in the open. There are certain
powers who put on the external form of what is desirable
and gratifying so as to pour into our thoughts the poison of
their iniquities. From this source come those sins which arise
from indulgence in pleasures or from some infirmity of the
mind. There are still other powers who may be said to
wrestle with us, as the Apostle says: ‘For our wrestling is
not against flesh and blood but against the Principalities
and Powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against
the spiritual forces of wickedness on high.’5 They wish by
this belligerency of theirs to break us and, so to speak, to
force out the breath of life from our bodies. Wherefore, like
a good athlete, Paul knew how to parry the blows of the
opposing powers and even to strike them as they advanced
to the attack. Hence he says: ‘I strike with my fists, not as
one beating the air.’6 And so like a good athlete he merited
the crown of victory.7 The temptations of the Devil, then,
are manifold. For that reason he is believed to be a
deadly, double-tongued serpent, doing the Devil’s work by
saying one thing with the tongue and by harboring other
thoughts in his mind. There are other servants of the Devil
who aim at us poisonous shafts of word and thought, such
as are described by the Lord: ‘You brood of vipers, how
can you speak good things when you are evil?’8

(56) ‘And the serpent said to the woman: Did God say,
you shall not eat of any tree of the garden? The woman
answered the serpent: Of the fruit of any tree in the garden

5 Eph. 6.12.

6 1 Cor. 9.26.

7 2 Tim. 4.8.

8 Matt. 12.34.

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we shall eat, but of the tree in the middle of the garden,
God said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it,
lest you die.’9 Although you are aware that the serpent is
wiser that all creatures, his cunning is especially noticeable
here. As he sets his snares, he pretends to give utterance to
the words of God, for God had already said: ‘From every
tree of the garden you may eat, but from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil you must not eat, for the day
you eat of it you must die.’10 The serpent inserted a false¬
hood in questioning the woman thus: ‘Did God say, you
shall not eat of any tree?’ Whereas God had actually said:
‘From every tree of the garden you may eat, but from one
tree you must not eat,’ meaning, by that, the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil which was not to be tasted. We
need not wonder at the manner of deception. Deceit accom¬
panies any effort at ensnaring an individual. The serpent’s
question was not without its purpose. But the woman’s
reply will indicate that there ' was nothing questionable in
the command of God: ‘Of the fruit of all the trees in the
garden we may eat, but of the fruit of the tree in the middle
of the garden, God said, you shall not eat of it neither shall
you touch it, lest you die.’ There was nothing inexact about
the command itself. The error lay in the report of the
command. The Scriptural passage under discussion is self-
explanatory. We realize that we ought not to make any
addition to a command even by way of instruction. Any
addition or qualification of a command is in the nature of
a falsification. The simple, original form of a command
should be preserved or the facts should be duly set before
us. It frequently happens that a witness adds something of
himself to a relation of facts. In this way, by the injection
of an untruth, confidence in his testimony is wholly shattered.

9 Gen. 3.1.

10 Gen. 2.16.

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No addition therefore — not even a good one — is called for.
What is, therefore, at first sight objectionable in the addition
made by the woman: ‘Neither shall you touch anything of
it’? God did not say this, but, rather: ‘you must not eat.
Still, we have here something which leads to error. There
are two possibilities to the addition she made: Either it is
superfluous or because of this personal contribution she has
made God’s command only partly intelligible. John in his
writings has made this clear: ‘If anyone shall add to them,
God will add unto him the plagues that are written in this
book. And if anyone shall take away from these words of
the book of this prophecy, God will take away his portion
from the tree of life.’11 If this is true in this case, how much
truer is it that nothing should be taken away from the
commands laid down by God! From this springs the primary
violation of the command. And many believe that this was
Adam’s fault — not the woman’s. They reason that Adam in
his desire to make her more cautious had said to the woman
that God had given the additional instruction: ‘Neither
shall you touch it.’ We know that it was not Eve, but Adam,
who received the command from God, because the woman
had not yet been created. Scripture does not reveal the exact
words that Adam used when he disclosed to her the nature
and content of the command. At all events, we understand
that the substance of the command was given to the woman
by the man. What opinions others have offered on this
subject should be taken into consideration. It seems to me,
however, that the initial violation and deceit was due to
the woman. Although there may appear to be an element
of uncertainty in deciding which of the two was guilty, we
can discern the sex which was liable first to do wrong. Add
to this the fact that she stands convicted in court whose
previous error is afterward revealed. The woman is respon-

11 Apoc. 22.18,19.

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sible for the man's error and not vice-versa. Hence Paul
says: ‘Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived
and was in sin.’12

(57) Now let us examine another question relative to the
addition which was made to the command. Does this addition
in itself seem to be objectionable? If the words, ‘neither
shall you touch it,’ are actually advantageous and tend to
put one on his guard, why did not God expressly forbid
this even to the point of seemingly permitting it by not
forbidding it? Wherefore, both points must be examined;
namely, the reasons why He neither permitted it nor forbade
it. Some raise the question: Why did He not order that the
object which He had made should be seen and touched?
But, when you realize that there was in that tree the
knowledge of good and evil, you can understand that He
did not wish you to touch what is evil. Sufficient is it for us,
using the words of the Lord, ‘to watch Satan fall as lightning
from heaven,’13 and giving to his sons not the meat of life,
but that of night and darkness, as it is written: ‘He gave
him to be meat for the people of the Ethiopians.’14 Thus
far on the subject of the reason why He did not command
the tree to be touched. Here are the reasons, as I understand
them, why God did not prohibit this act. There are many
things which do us harm, if we make up our minds to touch
them before we know what they are. We often learn, in
fact, by experience to be resigned if we know beforehand
that a certain food or drink is bitter. You learn to be tolerant
if you believe that what is bitter is beneficial, lest your sudden
realization of its bitterness may offend you and cause you
to reject what may prove to be salutary. It is advantageous,
therefore, first to have knowledge of this bitter quality, so

12 1 Tim. 2.14.

13 Luke 10.18.

14 Ps. 73.14.

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that you may not be squeamish and that you may realize
what is good for you. These are examples of what may harm
us just to a slight degree. From the discussion which now
follows, take warning of what may cause us more serious
damage unless we make provision against it.

(58) Take the case of the Gentile who is eager for the
faith. He becomes a catechumen and desires a greater
fullness of doctrine to strengthen his faith. See to it that in
his willingness to learn he is not exposed to false doctrine.
Take care that he does not learn from Photinus or from
Arius or from Sabellius. See that he does not hand himself
over to teachers of this sort who would attract him by their
airs of authority, so that his untrained mind, impressed by
the weight of such august prestige, will be unable to discri¬
minate the right from the wrong. He should first, therefore,
determine with the eyes of his mind what are the logical
sequences. Let him note where life exists by touching the
life-giving qualities of holy Scripture, so that no interpreter
will stand in his way. Sabellius reads for him: ‘I am in the
Father and the Father in me,’15 and says that means one
Person. Photinus reads that ‘there is one Mediator between
God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus.’ And elsewhere:
‘Why do you wish to kill me, a man?’16 Arius, too, read
the following: ‘For the Father is greater than I.’17 The
reading is clear, but the catechumen first ought to reflect on
the matter in his own mind, so as to discover the real
meaning of these passages. He is influenced by the prestige
of his teachers. It would have been more to his advantage
if he had not investigated at all rather than have come upon
such an instructor. But the Gentile, too, if he takes up the
Scriptures, reads: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Again: ‘If

15 John 14.10.

16 1 Tim. 2.5; John 8.40.

17 John 14.28.

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339

thy right hand is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off.

He does not understand the sense of this. He is not aware
of the secret meaning of the divine words. He is worse off
than if he had not read at all. Hence he has furnished a
lesson to these men on how they should have investigated
the meaning of the Word of God. A careful, not a super¬
ficial, examination of the context of the passage should be
made. It is written: ‘What was from the beginning, what
we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we
have looked upon and our hands have investigated: of the
Word of Life. And we have seen and now testify and
announce to you/19 You see how he investigated, so to speak,
with his hands the Word of God and afterward announced
it. Hence, the Word would not perhaps have caused injury
to Adam and Eve if they had first touched and handled it,
as it were, with the hands of the mind. Those who are
infirm can by careful examination and handling investigate
the nature of each and every object which they do not
understand. Certainly, those weak first parents of ours should
have studied beforehand the problem presented to them:
How were they to touch the tree in which they knew there
was knowledge of evil? The knowledge of evil, in fact, can
frequently be of advantage to us. Wherefore we read in
the oracular words of Scripture of the wiles of the Devil,
so that we learn how we can escape his arts. We should be
aware of his temptations, not that we may follow his lead,
but that by instruction we may avoid these pitfalls.

(59) At this point there are some who doubt whether God
meant that the fruit of every tree should be eaten — this
injunction to include every tree, inclusive of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil — or whether, in fact, He referred
to every tree, but excluded only the tree of knowledge of

18 Lev. 24.20; Matt. 5.30.

19 John 1.1,2.

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340

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good and evil? These people are of the opinion that this
matter is not without significance, because, although the fruit
of this tree is harmful in itself, still, if it were combined
with that of the other trees, it could not be injurious. They
cite as example of this fact the belief that an antidote can
be obtained from the body of a serpent which, being poison¬
ous since it is extracted from a serpent, is harmful when
taken alone, but when mixed with other drugs has medicinal
properties. The knowledge of good and evil, also, if one
possesses wisdom that is ever an aid toward survival and if
one reaches out after the other types of virtue, is considered
to be of no inconsiderable value. On that account, therefore,
many hold that we can even understand the reason why
God made this prohibition. He did not wish that tree of the
knowledge of good and evil should be eaten alone and not
in combination with the fruit of the others. He did not pro¬
hibit this if the other trees are taken into consideration at
the same time. Wherefore what God said to Adam is cited:
‘Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then,
of the tree which alone I commanded you not to eat.’20 This
would seem to offer an occasion for disputation. In the
preceding passage the woman might well have not made
any reply to the serpent’s question: ‘Did God say, you shall
not eat of any tree of the garden?’ But she answered: ‘Of
the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, you shall not
eat of it.’ In this incident, as she was on the point of
sinning, the woman’s faith may appear to have been weak.
Moreover, I shall not despoil Adam of all the virtues, so
that he would appear to have attained no virtue in Paradise
and would seem to have eaten nothing from the other trees,
but had fallen into sin before he had obtained any fruit.
I shall, therefore, not despoil Adam lest I may despoil the
whole human race, which is innocent before it acquires the

20 Gen. 3.11.

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PARADISE

341

capacity to know good and evil. Not without reason was
it said: ‘Unless you turn and become like this child, you
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’21 The child,
when he is scolded, does not retaliate. When he is struck, he
does not strike back. He is not conscious of the allurements
of ambition and self-seeking.

(60) The truth seems to be, then, that He commanded
the tree not to be eaten, not even along with the fruit of
the other trees. Knowledge of good, in fact, although of no
use to a perfect man, is, on the other hand, of no value to a
man who is imperfect. Paul speaks of himself as imperfect:
‘Not that I have already obtained this or already have been
made perfect, but I press on hoping that I may lay hold
of it already.’22 Hence the Lord says to the imperfect: ‘Do
not judge that you may not be judged.’23 Knowledge is,
therefore, of no use to the imperfect. Hence we read: ‘I
did not know sin unless the Law had said, thou thalt not
lust.’ And further on we read: ‘For without the Law sin
is dead.’24 What advantage is it to me to know what I cannot
avoid? What avails it for me to know that the law of my
flesh assails me? Paul is assailed and sees ‘the law of his flesh
warring against that of his mind and making him prisoner
to the law of sin.’ He does not rely on himself, but by the
grace of Christ is confident of his ‘deliverance from the
body of death.’25 Do you think that anyone with knowledge
of sin can avoid it? Paul says: ‘For I do not the good that
I wish, but the evil that I do not wish.’26 Do you consider
that this knowledge which adds to the reproach of sin can
be of help to man? Granted, however, that the perfect man

21 Matt. 18.3.

22 Phil. 3.12.

23 Matt. 7.1.

24 Rom. 7.7,8.

25 Rom. 7.23.24.

26 Rom. 7.19.

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is unable to sin. God foresaw all men in the person of
Adam. Hence it was not fitting that the human race in
general should have a knowledge of good and evil— a
knowledge which he could not utilize because of the weak¬
ness of the flesh.

Chapter 13

(61) Let us learn, therefore, that the temptations of the
Devil are full of guile. Of the things that he promised,
scarcely one of them seems to be true. He contrived false¬
hoods, as we can see if we read elsewhere: ‘And the serpent
said to the woman, you shall not die.’ Here we have one
falsehood, for man, who followed the promises of the serpent,
is subject to death. Hence he added: ‘For God knows that
when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened.’ This alone is
true, because further on we read: ‘They both ate and their
eyes were opened.’1 But the truth is that as a result of this
act harm followed. Hence, opening one’s eyes is not to every¬
one’s advantage, for it is written: ‘They will see and will
not see.’2 But the serpent was quick to attack a falsehood
to his statement, when he said: ‘And you will be like gods,
knowing good and evil.’3 Hence you may note that the
serpent is the author of idolatry, for his cunning seems to
be responsible for man’s error in introducing many gods.
His deceit lay in stating that they will be like gods, for not
only have men ceased to be like gods, but even those men
who were like gods (to whom it was spoken, ‘I have said
you are gods’4) have fallen from His favor.

(62) ‘And the woman saw that the tree was good for

1 Gen. 3.4-6.

2 Isa. 6.9.

3 Gen. 3.5.

4 Ps. 81.6.

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PARADISE

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food, pleasing to the eyes and beautiful to gaze upon. 5 She
showed her weakness in passing judgment on what she had
not tasted. It is not easy under any circumstance to make
such an assumption without deep reflection and a careful
examination of the facts. ‘She took of its fruit,’ we are told,
‘and ate it and also gave some to her husband and they
both ate.’6 Omission is made, and rightly so, of the deception
of Adam, since he fell by his wife’s fault and not because
of his own.

(63) ‘And their eyes were opened,’ we are told, ’and they
realized that they were naked.’7 They were naked, it is true,
before this time, but they were not devoid of the garments
of virtue. They were naked because of the purity of their
character and because nature knows nothing of the cincture
of deceit. Now, on the other hand, the mind of man is
veiled in many folds of deception. When, therefore, they saw
that they had been despoiled of the purity and simplicity of
their untainted nature, they began to look for objects made
by the hand of man wherewith to cover the nakedness of
their minds and hearts. They added gratification so as to
increase the idle pleasures of this world, sewing, as it were,
leaf upon leaf in order to conceal and cover the organ of gen¬
eration. But how explain the fact that Adam had his bodily
eyes closed, whereas he was able to see all living creatures and
confer names upon them? Well, just as by way of an inner
and deeper knowledge they were able to realize, not that
they were without garments, but that the protective covering
of virtue was no longer theirs.

(64) ‘So they sewed fig-leaves together and made
themselves coverings.’8 We are taught by the content of holy

5 Gen. 3.6.

6 Ibid.

7 Gen. 3.7.

8 Ibid.

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344

SAINT AMBROSE

Scripture how we should interpret the meaning of the word
‘fig’ in this passage. Scripture relates that the saints are those
who find rest beneath the vine and the fig.9 Solomon has

said: ‘Who plants the fig tree and does not eat the fruit

thereof?’10 Yet the owner may come to the fig tree and may
be offended by finding there merely leaves and no fruit. I
have information from Adam himself, in fact, about the
significance of the leaves. He proceded to make a covering
for himself out of the leaves of the fig tree after he had
sinned, whereas he should have had its fruit instead. The
just man chooses the fruit; the sinner, the leaves. What is
the fruit? We read: ‘The fruit of the spirit is charity, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, modesty, continency, love.’11 He
who possessed no fruit possessed no joy. The person who
violated the command of God did not have faith, and he

who ate of the forbidden tree did not have the virtue of

continency.

(65) Whoever, therefore, violates the command of God
has become naked and despoiled, a reproach to himself. He
wants to cover himself and hide his genitals with fig leaves,
making use, as it were of empty and idle talk which the
sinner interweaves word after word with fallacies for the
purpose of shielding himself from his awareness of his guilty
deed. Desiring to conceal his fault, he throws leaves over
himself, at the same time indicating that the Devil is respon¬
sible for his crime. He offers allurements of the flesh or the
recommendations of another individual as excuses for his
wrongdoing. He frequently produces examples from holy
Scripture, citing them as instances of how a just man may
fall into sin, the sin of adultery: ‘And Abraham lay with
his handmaid and David loved a strange woman whom

9 Mich. 4.4.

10 Prov. 27.18.

11 Gal. 5.22.

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PARADISE

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he made his wife.’12 He patches together examples for his
purposes from the list of prophetical books of Scripture. He
sees the leaves and ignores the fruit.

(66) Do not the Jews seem to you to be patchers of
leaves when they interpret in a material manner the words
of the spiritual Law? Their interpretation, condemned to
eternal aridity, loses all the characteristic greenness of the
fruit. There is a correct interpretation, therefore, which
points to a fruitful and spiritual fig tree beneath which just
men and saints find their rest.13 Whoever plants this tree in
the souls of every man will eat the fruit thereof, as Paul
says: ‘I have planted, Apollos watered.’14 But the wrong
interpretation will not confer the fruit nor conserve its
viridity.

(67) It was a serious matter, therefore, when, following
this interpretation, Adam girded himself in that place where
it would have been better that he had girded himself with
the fruit of chastity. Seeds of generation are said to exist in
our loins around which we bind our garments. Hence, Adam
did wrong on that occasion when he girded himself with
leaves that have no utility, inasmuch as by this act he
implied, not the fruit of a future generation, but certain sins
which remained until the coming of our Lord and Saviour.
But, when the master came, He found the fig tree unculti¬
vated. Elsewhere, when requested that he should order it
to be cut down, the owner of the fig tree allowed it to
be cultivated.15 And so we gird ourselves, not with leaves,
but with the divine Word, as the Lord Himself says: ‘Let
your loins be girt about and your lamps burning.’16 Where-

12 Gen. 16.13; 2 Kings 11.4.

13 Mich. 4.4.

14 1 Cor. 3.6.

15 Cf. Matt. 21.19; Luke 13.6-9.

16 Luke 12.35.

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346

SAINT AMBROSE

fore He prohibits us to carry money even in our girdles.17
Our girdles ought not to store up worldly objects, but things
of eternal nature.

Chapter 14

(68) ‘And they heard the voice of the Lord walking in
the garden towards evening.’1 What does ‘walking’ mean
in reference to God, who is everywhere ? In my opinion God
may be said to walk wherever throughout Scripture the
presence of God is implied, when we hear that He sees all
things and ‘the eyes of the Lord are upon the just.’2 We
read, too, that Jesus knew their thoughts and we read:
‘Why do you harbor evil throughts in your hearts?’3 When
we reflect, therefore, on these statements, we have a knowl¬
edge of God in the act of walking. The sinner, in fact, had
tried to hide away from the sight of God. He wished to
conceal himself in his thoughts and was unwilling that his
works appear in the light of day.’4 The just man saw Him
face to face,5 because the mind of the just man is in the
presence of God and even converses with Him, as it is
written: ‘Judge for the fatherless and defend the widow,
said the Lord.’6 When a sinner, therefore, reads these pas¬
sages from Scripture, he hears the voice of God walking
towards evening, so to speak. What does the phrase ‘towards
evening’ mean? Does it not mean that the sinner realizes
his sin too late and that the shame which should have for-

17 Cf. Matt. 10.9.

1 Gen. 3.8.

2 Ps. 33.16.

3 Luke 6.8; Matt. 9.4.

4 Matt. 5.16.

5 Dent.. 34.10; 1 Cor. 13.12.

6 Isa. 1.17,18.

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PARADISE

347

stalled the fault before it occurred was itself too late? While
the sinner is physically overcome by passions that affect the
soul, he in his errant fashion does not heed, that is to say,
does not hear, God, as He in holy Scripture walks in the
hearts and minds of each and every one of us. God says:
‘For I will dwell in their midst and I will walk among them
and will be their God.’7 Therefore, the dread of divine power
returns to the soul when we are eager to hide ourselves.
Then, placed as we are by the thought of our sins in the
midst of the trees of Paradise where we committed sin, we
are discovered to be desirous of concealing ourselves and
to be thinking of hidden things which God does not demand
of us. But He who is ‘the discerner of our thoughts and
intentions of our hearts, extending to the division of soul
and spirit,’ says: ‘Adam, where are you?’8

(69) How does God speak? Is it with the voice of the
body? Not at all. He utters oracular words with a voice that
is far more significant than is the voice of the body. The
prophets heard this voice. It is heard by the faithful, but the
wicked do not comprehend it. Wherefore we find the Evan¬
gelist in the Gospel listening to the voice of the Father
speaking: ‘I have glorified it and will glorify it again.’ But
the Jews did not listen. Hence they said: ‘I had thundered.’9
We have given an instance above wherein God was thought
to be walking when He was not. Here is an occasion when
He was heard speaking, whereas to some people He spoke not.

(70) But let us take note of what He speaks: ‘Adam,
where, are you?’ Even now these words have the healing
power of salvation for those who hear the Word of God.
Hence it is that the Jews who closed their eyes lest they hear
do not deserve to hear even today. It follows that those who

7 Lev. 26.12

8 Heb. 4.12; Gen. 3.9.

9 John 12.28,29.

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348

SAINT AMBROSE

conceal themselves have a remedy, for he who hides himself
is ashamed and he who is ashamed is converted, as it is
written: ‘Let them be much troubled and let them all be
turned back speedily.’10 The very fact of His calling a person
is a testimony of salvation to him who comes, because the
Lord calls those for whom He feels pity. When He says,
therefore, ‘where are you?’ it is not a question of a locality
to one who knows what is hidden. God did not have His
eyes closed, so that a man in hiding was able to escape His
notice. For that reason He said: ‘Adam has become like
one of us,’11 because his eyes were opened. He, in fact,
opened his eyes, so that he saw his own sin which he was
unable to avoid. It happens that after we have sinned, we
become, somehow or other, more aware of our crimes. We
are then aware of the sin which we did not consider to be
such before we actually fell into sin. Certainly we did not
then believe that a sin was subject to our disapproval, for,
if we had felt guilty, we would not have committed it. God
sees the faults of all men and knows their offenses. His eyes
penetrate into the secrets of the souls of each and every one
of us. What, then, does He mean by ‘Adam, where are you?’
Does He not mean ‘in what circumstances’ are you; not,
‘in what place’? It is, therefore, not a question, but a reproof.
From what condition of goodness, beatitude, and grace, He
means to say, have you fallen into this state of misery? You
have forsaken eternal life. You have entombed yourself in
the ways of sin and death. Where is that noble confidence
and trust of yours? That fear that you show is evidence
of your wrongdoing and that hiding place of yours betrays
your dereliction. ‘Where are you?’ does not mean ‘in what
place,’ but ‘in what condition.’ Where have your sins led
you, so that you fled the God whom before you sought

10 Ps. e.n.

11 Gen. 3.22.

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PARADISE

349

after? Perhaps vou are disturbed by the fact that Adam is
the first to be rebuked, although the woman was the first to
eat the fruit. But the weaker sex begins by an act of diso¬
bedience, whereas the stronger sex is more liable to feelings
of shame and forgiveness. The female furnished the occa¬
sion for wrongdoing; the male, the opportunity to feel
ashamed.

(71) And the woman said: ‘The serpent deceived me
and I ate.’12 That fault is pardonable which is followed by
an admission of guilt. The woman, therefore, is not to be
despaired of, who did not keep silent before God, but who
preferred to admit her sin — the woman on whom was passed
a sentence that was salutary. It is good to suffer condem¬
nation for our sins and to be scourged for our crimes,
provided we are scourged along with other men. Hence,
Cain, because he wanted to deny his guilt, was judged
unworthy to be punished in his sin. He was forgiven without
a prescribed penalty, not, perhaps, for having committed
such a serious crime as parricide — he was responsible for
his brother’s death — as one of sacrilege, in that he thought
he had deceived God when he said: ‘I do not know. Am
I my brother’s keeper?’13 And so the accusation is reserved
for his accuser, the Devil, prescribing that he be scourged
along with his angels, since he did not wish to be scourged
with men. Of such, therefore, has it been said: ‘There is
no regard for their death and they shall not be scourged
like other men.’14 The woman’s case is, accordingly, of a
different character. Although she incurred the sin of diso¬
bedience, she still possessed in the tree of Paradise food for
virtue. And so she admitted her sin and was considered
worthy of pardon. ‘The just is first accuser of himself in the

12 Gen. 3.13.

13 Gen. 4.9.

14 Ps. 72.4,5.

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350

SAINT AMBROSE

beginning of his speech.’15 No one can be justified from sin
unless he has first made confession of his sin. Wherefore the
Lord says: ‘Tell if thou hast anything to justify thyself.’16

(72) Because Eve has admitted her crime, she is given a
milder and more salutary sentence, which condemned her
wrong-doing and did not refuse pardon.17 She was to serve
under her husband’s power, first, that she might not be
inclined to do wrong, and, secondly, that, being in a position
subject to a stronger vessel, she might not dishonor her
husband, but on the contrary, might be governed by his
counsel.18 I see clearly here the mystery of Christ and His
Church. The Church’s turning toward Christ in times to
come and a religious servitude submissive to the Word of
God — these are conditions far better than the liberty of this
world. Hence it is written: ‘Thou shalt fear the Lord thy
God and shall serve him only.’19 Servitude, therefore, of this
sort is a gift of God. Wherefore, compliance with this
servitude is to be reckoned among blessings. We have the
example of Isaac granting it as a blessing to his son Esau
that he should serve his brothers. Hence he asked for his
father’s blessing. Although he knew that one blessing had
been taken from him, he asked for another: ‘Have you only
one blessing, father?’20 By this servitude, therefore, Esau,
who had before he sold birthright to satisfy his appetite
and who in his zeal for hunting in the field had not the
benefits derived from a blessing,21 had now come to believe
that he would fare better in the future if he would pay
reverence to his brother as a type of Christ. By this kind of

15 Prov. 18.17.

16 Isa. 43.26.

17 Cf. Gen. 3.16.

18 Cf. 1 Peter 3.7.

19 Deut. 6.13; Luke 4.8.

20 Cf. Gen. 27.40,38.

21 Cf. Gen. 25.27.

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PARADISE

351

servitude Ghristian folk grow strong, as we have it expressed
in the words of the Lord to His disciples: ‘Whoever wishes
to be first among you, let him be the slave of all of you.’22
Hence charity, which is greater than hope and faith, brings
this servitude to pass, for it is written: ‘By charity serve one
another.’23 This, then, is the mystery mentioned by the Apostle
in reference to Christ and the Church.24 The servitude existed
formerly, in fact, but in a condition of disobedience which
was to be later made salutary by the generation of children
‘in faith and love and holiness with modesty.’25 What was
certainly among the fathers a generation brought into exist¬
ence in sin shall become salutary in the children, so that what
was a stumbling block to the Jews shall in the society of
Christians undergo improvement.

Chapter 15

(73) ‘The serpent urged me,’ she said. This seemed to
God to be pardonable, inasmuch as He knew that the serpent
found numerous ways to deceive people. ‘Satan disguises
himself as an angel of light’ and ‘his ministers as ministers
of justice,’1 imposing false names on individual things, so
as to call ‘rashness’ a virtue and avarice ‘industry.’ The
serpent, in fact, deceived the woman and the woman led
the man away from truth to a violation of duty. The serpent
is a type of the pleasures of the body. The woman stands for
our senses and the man, for our minds. Pleasure stirs the
senses, which, in turn, have their effect on the mind. Pleasure,

22 Matt. 20.27.

23 Gal. 5.13.

24 Cl. Eph. 5.32.

25 1 Tim. 2.15.

1 2 Cor. 11.14,15.

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SAINT AMBROSE

therefore, is the primary source of sin. For this reason, do
not wonder at the fact that by God’s judgment the serpent
was first condemned, then the woman, and finally the man.
The order of condemnation, too, corresponded to that of the
crimes committed, for pleasure usually captivates the senses
and the senses, the mind. To convince you that the serpent
is the type of pleasure, take note of his condemnation.

(74) ‘On your breast and on your belly shall you crawl,’
we read. Only those who live for the pleasures of the stomach
can be said to walk on their bellies, ‘whose god is their belly
and their glory is their shame,’2 who eat of what is earthy,
and who, weighed down with food, are bent over towards
what is of earth. The serpent is well called the symbol of
pleasure in that, intent on food, he seems to feed on the
earth: ‘On your breast and on your belly shall you crawl,
dust shall you eat all the days of your life.’3 We should not
tolerate any of the excuses the Devil may make. By so doing
we may, perchance, offer him an occasion to display his
wickedness. We do this when we say that his iniquity
resulted from his condemnation and hence that he aimed
constantly to injure mankind because he was condemned
for the very purpose of doing us harm. This seems to be
pretty fanciful. If we regard the sentence passed on him to
be in the nature of a condemnation, God did not condemn
the serpent in order to cause injury to man. He pointed out
what was to happen in the future. Furthermore, we have
demonstrated above how that temptation can be of great
service to mankind. What we are to expect can in some
measure be gathered from our knowledge of what has been
written: ‘Whoever shall glorify me, him will I glorify and
he that despises me shall be despised.’4 God brings to pass

2 Phil. 3.19.

3 Gen. 3.14.

4 1 Kings 2.30.

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PARADISE

353

what is good, not what is evil, as His words can teach you
that He confers glory and disregards punishment. ‘Who¬
soever shall glorify me,’ He says, ‘him will I glorify,’ thus
declaring that the glory of the good is the purpose of His
work. And concerning ‘him that despises me,’ He did not
say I shall deprive of glory, but that he shall be deprived
of glory. He did not avow that injury to them would be the
result of His action, but pointed out what was to come. He
did not say, therefore, I shall make you crawl on your breast
and belly and feed on earth all the days of your life. What
He actually said was: ‘You shall crawl and you shall eat,’
in this way showing that He predicted what the serpent
would do in the future rather than prescribe what he was
to do. The earth, not the soul, He said, is your food, and
this, in fact, can be of profit to sinners. Hence the Apostle
‘delivered such a one for the destruction of the flesh, that
his spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.’5
He says that the serpent crawls on his breast and belly. This
is due not so much to the shape of his body as to the fact
that he has fallen from celestial happiness because of his
thoughts of earth. The breast, in fact, is frequently referred
to as the seat of wisdom. And so the Apostle leans his head,
not on the ground, but on Christ’s breast.6 If, therefore, the
wisdom of the Devil is compared to that of the most cruel
of animals whose breast is between its legs, if men, too, who,
‘minding the things of the earth’7 and without the inner
urge to rise towards heaven, have the appearance of crawling
on their bellies — then we surely ought to fill the belly of our
souls with the Word of God rather than with the corruptible
things of this world. Fittingly, therefore, does David, assuming
the character of Adam, say: ‘My soul is humbled down to

5 1 Cor. 5.5.

6 Cf. John 13.25; 21.20.

7 Phil. 3.20.

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354

SAINT AMBROSE

the dust, my belly cleaveth to the earth.’8 He used the word
‘cleaveth’ in reference to the serpent who feeds on earthly
iniquities. Thus the Apostle says that we should take on the
pattern of Christ, so that the virtue of Christ may extend
to you.9 The sentence imposed on the serpent is not consi¬
dered a heavy one, since even Adam, whose offense was
less serious, was accorded a like sentence.

(75) For it is written: ‘Cursed is the earth in thy works;
in sadness shall you eat thereof all the days of your life.’
The two sentences seem to have a certain similarity, yet in
that similarity there is a great difference. There is a differ¬
ence in the way a person eats of the earth, as the serpent
is related to have done and the manner in which this is
recorded of the man: ‘In sadness shall you eat.’ That very
phrase ‘in sadness’ makes the precise difference. Note how
important this difference is. It is for my benefit that I
should eat the earth in sadness rather than with delight, that
is to say, that I should appear to feel a certain sadness in
my bodily acts and senses rather than experience pleasure
in sin. Many, in fact, because of their manifold iniquities
have no awareness of sin. But he who says: ‘I chastise my body
and bring it into subjection,’10 feels sadness because of regret
for the sins to which we are subject. He himself did not
have such serious faults for which he ought to feel sorrow.
Hence he teaches us that that kind of sorrow is of value
which has, not this world, but God, as its end. It is right,
he says, that you become sorrowful, so as to feel repentance
in the face of God: ‘For the sorrow that is according to
God produces salvation, whereas the sorrow that is according
to the world produces death.’11 Take note of those who in

8 Ps. 43.25.

9 Phil. 3.17.

10 1 Cor. 9.27.

11 2 Cor. 7.9,10.

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PARADISE

355

the Old Testament were sorrowful in the midst of their
bodily labors and who attained grace, while those who found
delight in such pleasures continued to be punished. Hence
the Hebrews, who groaned in the works of Egypt,12 attained
the grace of the just and those ‘who ate bread with mourning
and fear,’ were supplied with spiritual good.13 The Egyptians,
on the other hand, who, in their service to a detestable king,
carried out such works with joy, received no favor.14

(76) There, too, is that distinction between the serpent
who is said to eat the earth and Adam, to whom God said:
‘You shall eat in sadness the herbs of the field.’15 We may
note here a certain gradation. When we eat the earth, it
seems that we are in a sort of warfare. When we eat the
herbs, there is a certain advance. When finally, we eat bread,
then our life of trial has reached its terminus. Let us expe¬
rience a series of advancements in this life as Paul did: ‘It
is now no longer I that live,’16 that is, not I who before
this ate the earth, not I who ate grass, for ‘all flesh is grass,’17
but ‘Christ lives in me.’18 This signifies that living bread
which comes from heaven,19 and that wisdom, too, is living,
together with grace, justice, and resurrection.

(77) Again, consider the fact that it is the serpent and
not man who is cursed. And the earth is not cursed in itself
but is ‘cursed in your work.’20 This is said in reference to
the soul. The earth is cursed if your works are earthly, that
is, of this world. It is not cursed as a whole. It will merely
bring forth thorns and thistles, if it is not diligently cared

12 Cf. Exod. 2.23.

13 Tob. 2.5; cf. 1 Cor. 10.3.

14 Exod. 16.14-18.

15 Gen. 3.18.

16 Gal. 2.20.

17 Isa. 40.6.

18 Gal. 2.20.

19 John 6.50.

20 Gen. 3.17.

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356

SAINT AMBROSE

for by the labor of human hands. If we do not toil over it
in labor and sweat we shall not eat bread. The law of the
flesh wars against the law of the mind.21 We must labor
and sweat so as to chastise the body and bring it into sub¬
jection and sow the seeds of spiritual things. If we sow
what is carnal, we shall reap fruit that is carnal. If, however,
we sow what is spiritual, we shall reap the fruit of the spirit.22

21 Cf. Rom. 7.23.

22 Cf. 1 Cor. 9.27,11,12.

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CAIN AND ABEL

BOOK ONE

vT*

Chapter 1

|n the preceding pages we have discussed the sub¬
ject of Paradise, including the account of the fall

_ of Adam and Eve. We have recorded these facts

to the best of our ability, just as the Lord has inspired us
to interpret their meaning. Now, we have it on record that
this sin did not stop at that point, but, to make matters
worse, lived on and had a successor in the person of one
who was still more debased. Let us take note, then, of what
happened subsequently, as we follow in due order the events
related in the pages of holy Scripture.

(2) Adam knew his wife and she conceived and bore
Cain, saying: “I have begotten a man-child through God.”1
In using the expression ‘giving birth to,’ it is usual for us to
consider the categories ‘by what,’ ‘from what,’ and ‘through
what.’ The phrase ‘by what’ refers to the material; ‘from

1 Gen. 4.1.

359

360

SAINT AMBROSE

what,’ to the author; ‘through what,’ to some instrument.
Can the expression, ‘I have begotten a man-child through
God,’ induce us to think of God as an instrument? Certainly
not. We are to understand here that God is the Author and
Creator. Hence, Eve ascribed the work to God when she
said: ‘I have begotten a man-child through God,’ so that
we, too, in a similar situation, ought not to claim our suc¬
cession to ourselves, but attribute it entirely to God.

(3) ‘In addition she bore his brother Abel.’2 When any¬
thing is added, that which comes before it is eliminated.
This we can see in an arithmetical calculation or by simple
reflection. When one number is added to another, something
new arises. The original number disappears and mentally
we proceed to exclude the figure with which we started.
When, therefore, Abel is born in addition, Cain is elimi¬
nated. This can be understood better if we examine the
signification of their names. Cain means ‘getting,’ because
he got everything for himself. Abel, on the other hand, did
not, like his brother before him, refer everything to himself.
Devotedly and piously, he attributed everything to God,
ascribing to his Creator everything that he had received
from Him.

(4) There are two schools of thought, therefore, totally
in opposition one to the other, implied in the story of the
two brothers. One of these schools attributes to the mind
itself the original creative source of all our thoughts, sensations,
and emotions. In a word, it ascribes all our productions to
man’s own mind. The other school is that which recognizes
God to be the Artificer and Creator of all things and sub¬
mits everything to His guidance and direction. Cain is a
pattern for the first school and Abel of the second. One
living being gave birth to these two schools of thought.
Hence, they are related as brothers because they come from

2 Gen. 4.2.

CAIN AND ABEL : ONE

361

one and the same womb. At the same time, they are oppo¬
sites and should be divided and separated, once they have
been animated with the life of the spirit. Those who are
by nature contraries cannot abide for long in one and the
same habitation. Hence, Rebecca, when she gave birth to
two individuals of dissimilar nature, the one good and the
other evil, and when she felt them leap in her womb (Esau
was the type of wickedness, Jacob the pattern of what is
good), marveled at the reason for the discord which she
perceived within her. She appealed to God to make known
the reason for her suffering and to grant a remedy. This was
the response given to her prayer: ‘Two nations are in your
womb; two peoples shall stem from your body.’3 Inter¬
preted spiritually, this can mean the same generation of
good and evil, both of which emanate from the same source
in the soul. The former is likely to be the fruit of sound
judgment whereby evil is repudiated and goodness is fostered
and strengthened. Prior to giving birth to what is good, that
is to say, to giving complete reverence and deference owed
to God Himself the soul shows preference to its own creation.
When, moreover, the soul is generated with faith and trust
in God. relief comes at the time of parturition. Thus God,
in applying the beneficial lesson of Abel to the soul of man,
makes ineffective the impious lesson of Cain.

Chapter 2

(5) Following the Scriptures, I am inclined to hold that
in this place we have a reference to two classes of peoples.
In disposing for the Church’s use the faith of His devoted
flock, God has made ineffective the perfidy of the people
who fell away from Him. The very words of God seem to

3 Gen. 25.23.

362

SAINT AMBROSE

establish this meaning: ‘Two nations are in your womb;
two peoples stem form your body.’ These two brothers, Cain
and Abel, have furnished us with the prototype of the
Synagogue and the Church. In Cain we perceive the parri¬
cidal people of the Jews, who were stained with the blood
of their Lord, their Creator, and, as a result of the child¬
bearing of the Virgin Mary, their Brother, also. By Abel we
understand the Christian who cleaves to God, as David says:
‘It is good for me to adhere to my God,’1 that is, to attach
oneself to heavenly things and to shun the earthly. Else¬
where he says: ‘My soul hath fainted in thy word,’ thus
indicating his rule of life was directed toward reflections on
the Word and not on the pleasures of this world. Wherefore
we realize that what we read concerning David in the Book
of King is not an idle statement, but is said with due weight
and reflection: ‘And he was laid with his fathers.’3 We are
given to understand that his faith was like that of his father’s.
It is clear, then, that there is reference here to participation
in life and not to the burial of a body.

(6) Hence the words of Scripture here are considered to
have more than casual meaning. Leaving the appearance of
this weak body which was attached to his soul as an append¬
age, Isaac ‘was gathered to his kin’4 because he adhered to
the customs of his father. Fittingly does he say ‘to his kin’ —
not ‘to his people,’ as elsewhere.5 We read in other places
that men were gathered to their people, but these men
were not so prominent. A person is more prominent who is
matched, not by the many, but by the few — for there are
more individuals implied in ‘people’ than in ‘kin.’ It is
considered, too, that similarity to a few people has more

1 Ps. 72.28.

2 Ps. 108.81.

3 3 Kings 2.10.

4 Gen. 35.29.

5 Deut. 32.50.

CAIN AND ABEL : ONE

363

merit than likeness to a large number. Those, therefore, who
were born in this world with God’s help, who were chosen
to offer with devotion approved sacrifices, who were content
with one consort, that is, with the sole society of that highest
of kinship, wisdom, which is ever one and harmonious — ■
these persons, according to the testimony of holy Scripture,
ought not to be put in the category of the average man. In
the one case, we have an active life which included study
and meditation; in the other, association with the crowd and
a mingling with the populace. Those who collectively are
called ‘people’ are for the most part swayed by hearsay.
Uncorrupted purity and lofty lineage are found, not where
men are subject to popular appeal, but wherever an intelli¬
gent group is gathered together solely for the task of learning.
Wherefore Isaac, we are told, with the help of God was
gathered to his kin rather than to his people. Thus you can
come to understand that he was a man who paid more
attention to what is divine than to what is merely human.

(7) Blessed is the mind of that man who, overstepping
the bounds of species and race, deserves to hear what was
said to Moses when he stood apart from his people: ‘Stand
thou here with me.’G Just as Isaac, the type of the Incarnation
of the Lord, overstepping the custom of human generation,
surpassed his predecessors, so that he acquired special dis¬
tinction and veered from participation in the common and
vulgar, in a similar way we learn from Scripture that ‘pro¬
mises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. He does
not say, “and to his offsprings” — as of many, but as of one,
“and to thy offspring,” who is Christ.’7 In Moses, also,
there is a figure of one who was to teach the Law, preach
the Gospel, fulfill the Old Testament,8 found the New, give

6 Deut. 5.31.

7 Gal. 3.16.

8 Matt. 5.17.

364

SAINT AMBROSE

heavenly nourishment to the people. He so far exceeded the
dignity of his human state that he was given the title of ‘God’
as we read in the Scriptures, where the Lord speaks: ‘I have
appointed thee the God of Pharao.’9 He was, in fact, victo¬
rious over all his passions and was not allured by the entice¬
ments of the world. He enveloped this our habitation here
in the body with a purity that savored of a ‘citizenship that
is in heaven.’10 By directing his mind and by subduing and
castigating his flesh with an authority that was almost regal,
he was given the name of ‘God,’ in whom he had modeled
his life by numerous acts of perfect virtue.

(8) Accordingly, we do not read of him, as we do of
others, that he fell sick and died. We read that ‘he died by
the word of God’ — for a God does not grow weak or undergo
diminution or addition. Hence Scripture added: ‘No man
hath known of his sepulture until this present day’11 — by
which we are to understand that he was taken up into heaven
rather than buried, for death may be called a separation of
the soul from the body. He died, therefore, as the Scripture
states: ‘by the word of God’ — not ‘in accordance with the
word’ — so as to make known that this was not an announce¬
ment of his death, but was more in the nature of a gracious
gift to one who was translated rather than left here, and
whose sepulture was known to no man. Who could ever find
the remains on earth of one who has been shown in the
Gospel to be with the Son of God.12 Hence there appeared
with him Elias, who was carried away in a chariot and who
did not die nor was buried according to Scripture,13 for he
still lives, being with the Son of God. We read, indeed, that
Moses did die, but he died by the Word of God, by which

9 Exod. 7.1.

10 Phil. 3.20.

11 Deut. 34.5,6.

12 Cf. Matt. 17.3.

13 Cf. 4 Kings 2.11.

CAIN AND ABEL : ONE

365

all things are made: ‘By the word of God the heavens were
established.’14 By the Word of God, therefore, there is no
cessation of work, but, rather, a foundation. We are not
to understand that here with the dissolution of the body we
have a return to earth. A special favor was bestowed on him
by the operation of the Word of God, so that to his body
was granted repose rather than a monumental sepulcher.

(9) There is a clear distinction between servant and
master. What is a privilege in a master is in a servant a
favor. We read that no one knows the sepulcher of Moses
and that Christ died and was taken up from earth to
heaven.15 Christ, in accordance with the mystery of the
Law,16 looked forward to the Redemption, so that He would
rise again. Moses did not, in accordance with the favors
granted in the Gospel, look forward to Redemption; rather,
he himself was the bestower of it. Hence his sepulcher is not
really known, but the sepulcher which the creature could
not any longer endure has been set free, since of himself
every creature makes haste to be delivered from ‘its slavery to
corruption.’17 No one, therefore, knows the burial place of
Moses, because all men have knowledge of his life. We have
seen the sepulcher of Christ, but now no longer know it,
since we have come to know His Resurrection. His tomb,
in fact, ought to be recognized, so that His Resurrection be
made manifest. Hence in the Gospel18 His tomb is described
in all detail. There is no account of this in the Law, because,
although the Law announced His Resurrection,19 it was left
to the Gospels in their very detailed account to give us con¬
firmation of this fact.

14 Ps. 32.6.

15 Cf. Mark 16.19.

16 Cf. Isa. 53.8.

17 Rom. 8.21.

18 Cf. Matt. 27.60.

19 Cf. Isa. 11.10.

366

SAINT AMBROSE

Chapter 3

(10) Let us complete now our discussion of the theme:
‘In addition she bore Abel.’ This means that Eve, who had
grievously erred before, had generated designedly something
superior, so as to transcend the mistake she had previously
made. Unless I am mistaken, this event is made generally
evident in our own experiences. When we are born we have
the physical sensibility of an infant. Then follows the period
of childhood, which is devoted merely to the care of our
bodies with no regard for the rites or observance of divine
worship. Wherefore, in order to show that Jesus Christ, clear¬
ly revolutionizing the law of nature, was born of a virgin,
the Prophet states: ‘Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear
a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel. He shall eat
butter and honey, that he may know to refuse the evil and
choose the good. For before the child know to refuse the evil
and choose the good, he does not put his trust in wickedness
that he may choose what is good.’1 And further on: ‘For
before a child know to call his father and his mother, he
shall receive the strength of Damascus and the spoils of Sa¬
maria against the king of the Assyrians.’2 For He alone was
not overcome by the vanity and emptiness of this world as
one who ‘humbled himself, becoming obedient even to death’3
— one who was most unlike each and every one of us who
trust in vain and are swollen with the pride of the flesh.
Hence no one is without sin, not even an infant one day old,
although he never committed a sin.4 And so Cain is first to
assert himself when we are born. Abel, in whom there is
reverence for divinity, is born after him. Evil, therefore, is

1 Isa. 7.14-16.

2 Isa. 8.4.

3 Phil. 2.8.

4 Job 14.4; 1 Peter 2.22; 1 John 3.5.

CAIN AND ABEL : ONE

367

the first to make its appearance and next the recognition of
what is good. Where there is good, there is justice. Where
there is justice, there is holiness, that is to say, Abel who
cleaves to God.

(11) ‘And Abel,’, we are told, ‘became a keeper of flocks
and Cain a tiller of the soil.’5 Not without reason, as Scripture
teaches us, is Abel mentioned first in this passage, although
Cain was the first born. The order of nature differs from the
order given to the names themselves. What is the significance
of this change of order in first mentioning the younger of the
two, when there is reference to employment and vocation?
In order to understand the reason for this preference we
should take note of the differences in their tasks. Tilling the
soil comes first in our experience. This activity is lower in
prestige than that of sheep-herding. This is like the case of a
teacher or leader who, rightfully as elders do, begins with
principles that are older and better established. The younger
man, on the other hand, is likely to prefer land which is not
so old, which does not ‘bring forth thorns and thistles,’6 and
which is generally acceptable. Accordingly, Adam, being
guilty of sin, is expelled from the Garden of Delight that he
might till the soil.7 The order of nature is correctly preserved
at the time of the coming of these brothers into this world.
When it is a question of instruction in the art of living, the
younger is preferred to the older because, although junior
in age, he is superior in virtue. Innocence is later in time
than wickedness. Although nearly equal in age, it is far
superior in the high quality of its merits: ‘For venerable old
age is not counted by years nor by grey hairs but by morals,
and a spotless life is old age.’8 When, therefore, there is

5 Gen. 4.2.

6 Gen. 3.18.

7 Cf. Gen. 3.17.

8 W'isd. 4.8,9.

368

SAINT AMBROSE

question of birth, Cain should take the first place. When
there is question of instruction, Abel should stand first. Who
can deny, then, that adolescence and the early years of man¬
hood are subject to the temptations of the passions? Who can
deny, too, that, when a more mature age is reached, peace
returns after the tempestuous yearnings of youth are passed
and the wearied soul finds at last a mooring place in some
secluded harbor of life?

Chapter 4

(12) From such examples as these there can be no doubt,
therefore, that, although wickedness has precedence in time,
yet it has the infirmity which belongs to youthfulness. Wicked¬
ness has the contributory advantage of age, whereas virtue
has the privilege of that sort of prestige which a man given
to unjust judgments often concedes to the just. Holy Scrip¬
ture is a trusted witness of this fact in the episode where
Esau, whose name is linked with those who are stupid,1 went
so far as to surrender his own birthright to his brother Jacob,
saying: ‘Of what use to me is my birthright?’2 But the birth¬
right which he disregarded, a man endowed with competence
(as his name3 implies) made an effort to deserve. Does not
Esau seem to you to be like one who was defeated in a
contest? Does he not appear to you to be like a man who,
believing on account of his inherent weakness that he was
outclassed, yielded up the crown to the victor who, he per¬
ceived, was not affected by any temptations of the senses,
which, like the dust of an arena, he himself was unable to
endure? ‘Of what use to me,’ he said, ‘is my birthright?’
Among the craven there are no evidences of virtue. These

1 Cf. Isidore, Etymol. 7.6.33.

2 Gen. 25.32.

3 Cf. Isidore, Etymol. 1.75.

CAIN AND ABEL : ONE

369

indications are first observable among men of wisdom, for
mental activity serves as a means toward the attainment of
virtue. As a warrior cannot exist without arms, so virtue is
not attained without the practice of it. Hence the Lord
says in the Gospel: ‘From the days of John the Baptist the
kingdom of heaven has been enduring assault and the violent
have been seizing it.’ And elsewhere: ‘Seek the kingdom of
God and behold all things are yours.’4 Rewards are promised
not to those who sleep or who idle away their time, but to
those who strive. Toil has its recompense. Although it may
not be pleasant or sweet, labor provides a wealth of compen¬
sation.

(13) This is the lesson given in the Law, as we find it
recorded: ‘If a man have two wives, one beloved and the
other hated, and both the beloved and the hated have had
children by him, and the son of the hated be the first born,
and he meaneth to divide his substance among his sons.
He may not make the son of the beloved the first bom and
prefer him before the son of the hated. But he shall acknowl¬
edge the son of the hated for the first born and shall give
him a legacy of all he hath, for this is the first of his children
and to him are due the first birthrights.’5 What profound
secrets lie in what we read, veiled in the language of mystery !
Pay heed, soul, to your two-fold birth and examine the
mystery found in the story of the hated wife. You will find
the answer within you, if you stop and reflect. Look into
your thoughts and into your emotions and you will recognize
that to which you owe your birthright. Two women, in fact,
cohabit in each one of us: women who live in discord and
disagreement and who fill the house of our soul with
their bickerings and contentiousness. One of these is called

4 Matt. 11.12; 6.33.

5 Deut. 21.15-17.

370

SAINT AMBROSE

Pleasure. She is so pleasant, ingratiating, and agreeable
that we have in mind to make her our associate and consort.
The other one is harsh, bitter, and cruel. Her name is Virtue.

(14) Pleasure, then, is an impudent prostitute with mincing,
alluring gait. She beckons with her eyes, winking playfully
so as to trap in her snares the precious souls of young men.
The eyes of a sinful libertine are used as a lure. Whomsoever
she sees — ‘a foolish young man who passeth by the comer
and goeth nigh the way of her house’8 — she approaches
with wheedling words. She endeavors to steal the hearts of
young men — a woman restless at home, a wanderer in the
public squares, prodigal of kisses, indifferent to shame, gaudy
in her dress and countenance.7 Since she is unable, indeed,
to assume a beauty that is true to nature, she affects what
is the opposite to truth — an external show of meretricious
arts. Accompanied by a crowd of vicious characters and
surrounded by a band of wicked men, she acts as a leader
in their sinful acts. She attacks the citadels of men’s hearts
while uttering such words as these as a war-cry: ‘I have
vowed victims for peace, this day I have paid my vows.
Therefore I am come out to meet thee, desirous to see thee,
and I have found thee. I have woven my bed with cords.
I have covered it with tapestry from Egypt. I have perfumed
my bed with saffron and my home with cinnamon. Come
and let us wrestle with desire.’8 Here in the words of Solomon
we behold the very picture of a wanton. What other than
worldly pleasure is more characteristic of a prostitute who
make her entrance stealthily into the house, first making
tentative explorations with her eyes and then entering quickly,
while you concentrate the gaze of your soul outward on

6 Prov. 7.8.

7 Prov. 7.12,13.

8 Prov. 7.14-18.

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the public square, that is, on the streets frequented by
passersby and not inward on the mysteries of the Law? She
has contrived to trap us in a room devoted to the associations
of common life by such solid chains that a person, although
held in bondage, finds himself at ease there. As she reclines
there she covers her body with coverlets of fraud and deceit
so as to allure the souls of young men, alleging the absence
of a husband, that is to say, her disregard for the Law. The
Law does not exist for sinners, for, if it were present, it would
not have been ignored. Hence we read: ‘For my husband
is not at home, he is gone a very long journey. He took
with him a bag of money.’9 What is the meaning of this, if
not that the rich believe that there is nothing that money
cannot control and that the Law is something that can be
sold for profit? Pleasure scatters its fragrance because it has
not the fragrance of Christ.10 Pleasure looks for treasures,
it promises kingdoms, it assures lasting loves, it pledges un¬
dreamed of intimacies, instruction without a guardian and
conversation without hindrance. Pleasure promises a life be¬
reft of anxiety, a sleep devoid of disturbance and wants that
cannot be satiated. We read: Entangling him with many
words and alluring him with the snares of her lips, she led
him even to her home. He was beguiled and followed her.11
The hall had all the splendor of a royal palace with walls in
relief work. The floor reeked of spilled wine and emitted the
odor of unguents. It was covered with the remains of fish.
The flowers, now faded, made walking hazardous. Every¬
thing there was confused and contrary to the order of nature :
the uproar of the banqueters, the noise of contenders, the
clash of wranglers, the chorus of singers, the hubbub of

9 Prov. 7.19,20.

10 2 Cor. 2.15.

11 Cf. Prov. 7.21,22.

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dancers, the laughter of the merry, and the applause of the
revelers. There you find dancing girls with shorn locks and
boys with curly hair, mingled with disgusting evidences of
repletion and overindulgence, yesterday’s intoxication and
today’s inebriation. Repeated bouts of intemperance, saturated
with the odor of stale wine, made a stronger impression on
the senses than fresh liquor would. Pleasure, standing in the
midst of this disorder, said: ‘Drink ye and be drunken and
fall and rise no more.’ With me the most wicked holds the
first place in my estimation. The man who is not himself is
mine and, the more evil he is, the more is he acceptable to
me. ‘Babylon hath been a golden cup in my hand that made
all the earth drunk. All the nations have drunk of my wine.’12
Who, therefore, is devoid of wisdom, let him turn toward me.
My advice to those who are foolish is this: ‘Enjoy the bread
that is hidden and drink of the stolen waters that are sweeter.’
‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die.’ ‘Our life
shall pass away as the trace of a cloud and shall be dispersed
as a mist.’ ‘Come, therefore, and let us enjoy the good things
that are present and let us speedily use the creatures as in
youth. Let us fill ourselves with costly wine and with oint¬
ments and let not the flower of our time pass by us. Let us
crown ourselves with roses before they be withered. Let no
meadow escape our riot. Let us everywhere leave tokens of
joy.’13 All things are left behind here and we bring with us
nothing but what bodily pleasures we have experienced. I
have set myself up, therefore, as a teacher of this philosophy.
Nothing is true unless it brings some good, something sweet,
and something pleasant. Put your trust in this philosophy,
which is the very wisdom of Solomon.

12 Ter 25.27: 51.7.

13 Prov. 9.17; Isa. 22.13; Wisd. 2.3,6-9.

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Chapter 5

(15) On hearing these words, the young man is wounded
like a stag when ‘the arrow pierces his liver.’1 Virtue, having
pity on him and seeing him on the point of falling, rushes
to his aid. She is fearful that he, being human, may be
intrigued, if there should be any delay, by such sweet allure¬
ments. ‘Although you have not sought my aid,’ she says, ‘I
have come openly before you lest this intemperate woman,
who knows no shame, may outwit you in your ignorance.
She sits at the door of her house upon a seat in the public
squares calling them that pass by.’ ‘Now therefore, my son,
hear me and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thy
mind be drawn away in her ways. For she has cast down
many wounded and countless are those she has slain. Her
house is the way to hell, reaching even to the inner chamber
of death.’ ‘Remove from thee a forward mouth and let
distracting lips be far from thee. Let thy eyes look straight
on.’ ‘Mind not the deceit of a woman, for the lips of a harlot
are like a honeycomb dropping.’2 This for a time you may
find intriguing, but soon you will discover that this is more
bitter than poison. Time will not permit me to relate in
detail her vices. I refer you to the Book of Proverbs where
these are described. Do not let her outward appearance
dazzle you. It is fraudulent and full of deceit, entirely lacking
in genuineness and in truth. Do not be tricked by the arti¬
fices of her eyes. Rather, be a follower of him ‘who cometh
leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills, looking
through the windows,’3 beyond the reach of snares. The
bonds of Pleasure, which give delight to the eye, charm to
the ear, but pollution to the mind, are evil. What Pleasure

1 Prov. 7.23.

2 Cf. Prov. 9.14,15; 7.24-27; 4,24.25; 5.2,3.

3 Cant. 2.8,9.

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offers is often spurious. Truth is obscured and instruction
ignored by promises of gold to come. However, ‘choose
knowledge rather than gold and wisdom above precious gold.
It is better than all the most precious things.’4 I will not
conceal from you the sum total of the effects of Pleasure. I
should not want to conceal her ugliness or dissemble her
enticements, for she lifts up and excites the mind by the
eloquence of her speech. In effect, she shows all the kingdoms
of the world and says: ‘All these things I will give to thee,
if thou wilt fall down and worship me.’5 At that point be
on your guard lest you be deceived by the impermanent and
the passing which tempt us mightily.

(16) The Lord Jesus has pointed out to you6 how you
may resist temptations of this sort. The Devil first tried to
snare Him with an appeal to the satisfaction of hunger: ‘If
thou art the Son of God, command that this stone become
a loaf of bread. But he answered and said, “Not by bread
alone does man live, but by every word of God”.’6 Thus
was the snare broken. Again the Devil laid another snare,
this time, one of vainglory, a vice that often leads men to
destruction in their hour of prosperity. ‘And he led him to
Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of a temple and said
to him. “If thou art the Son of God, throw thyself down
from here, for it is written, he has given his angels charge
concerning thee, to preserve thee, because upon their hands
they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a
stone.” ’ And so, although the Lord Jesus might have cast
himself down without danger because of His command
over the elements, yet, lest He be subject to pride, He gave
this reply to the Devil: ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy
God.’ In this way He taught us how to ward off the temp-

4 Prov. 8.10,12.

5 Matt. 4.9,10; cf. Luke 4.7.

6 Luke 4.4-12.

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tations of the Devil. If a real opportunity for vainglory
should thus be passed by, how much greater occasion do we
have to exercise humility when we are presented with a
situation that is entirely different! We should not neglect to
mention the third time when the Devil attempted to snare
the Lord by appealing, on this occasion, to avarice and
ambition. ‘He took him to a mountain and showed him all
the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.’ Since these
things cannot endure, the expression ‘in a moment of time’ is
quite appropriate. Wait a little while and these things pass
away. Wherefore, those who follow such pursuits seem to
themselves to be on a mountain top. But their position is
temporary, for it is written: ‘I have seen the wicked highly
exalted and lifted up over the cedars of Libanus and I
passed by, and lo, he was not.’7 Those who consider tempo¬
rary things to be of prime importance seem, in fact, to
worship the Devil: ‘Their god is the belly, their glory is their
shame.’8 Set your glory in God’s hands who says to you:
‘The Lord thy God shalt thou worship and him only shalt
thou serve,’9 from whom you will attain not what is temporal
but what is everlasting.

(17) Those, indeed, who find delight in things that endure
should make their petitions in due course to Him who is
the true source of all things. Those things which the Devil
seems to claim as his property are not really his, as he main¬
tains: ‘To thee will I give all this power and their glory,
for to me they have been delivered.’10 Put your hope in Him,
therefore, who is the Creator of each and every creature,
although the brevity of this life does not call for provision
for a long journey. God has ordained that the Devil be given

7 Ps. 36.35,36.

8 Phil. 3.19.

9 Luke 4.8; Matt. 4.10.

10 Luke 4.6.

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power to tempt man for a while, but not to possess him.
The crown of victory cannot be attained without a contest.11
The unstable must be put to the test, so that they may
become just and thus merit the reward.

(18) God, therefore, assigned this office to the Devil
because thereby the person involved is subject to punishment
if he misuses his opportunity. Where does the man given to
pleasure find his treasure if not in luxurious living? But the
thrifty man, not the spendthrift, is held in esteem. Hence,
follow the example of the frugal man when you sit at
table. Do not by overindulgence become an object of hate:
‘Watching and choler are with the intemperate man,’ and
again: ‘If thou hast been forced to eat much, arise, go out
and vomit; and it shall refresh thee and thou shalt not bring
sickness upon thy body.’12 Many are the victims of gluttony,
whereas temperance claims none. Frugality in the use of
wine is beneficial, but countless individuals harm themselves
by overindulgence. Many are the victims of excess at the
banqueting table — an excess which deprives them of the use
of speech. These who are harmed by gluttony are the victims
of intoxication, which, while in itself a sin, drives some men
to commit sin and reduces others to poverty. Take note of
the type of person whom Christ would finally exclude from
heaven: ‘When the master of the house has entered and
shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and knock at
the door, saying, “Open for us!” And he shall say to you in
answer, “I do not know where you are from.” Then you
shall begin to say, “We ate and drank in thy presence and
thou didst teach in our streets.” And he shall say to you,
“I do not know where you are from.” ’ You have heard what
He said about those who in eating were epicures. Now pay
heed to what He says about those who fast: ‘Blessed are

11 Cf. 2 Tim. 2.5.

12 Eccli. 31.23-25.

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they who hunger and are thirsty now, for they shall be
satisfied.’ And again: ‘Woe to those who are filled! For you
shall hunger.’13

(19) But do you wish to eat and drink? Enter into the
banquet hall of Wisdom, who invites all men, proclaiming
with a loud voice: ‘Come, eat my bread and drink my wine
which I have mingled for you.’14 Do you find delight in
songs which charm the banqueter? Listen to the voice of
the Church, who exhorts us not only in canticles, but in the
Canticle of Canticles: ‘Eat, O friends, and drink and be
inebriated, my brethren.’15 But this inebriation makes men
sober.16 This inebriation is one of grace, not of intoxication.
It leads to joy, not to befuddlement. It the banquet hall of
the Church there will be pleasant odors, delightful food, and
drink in variety. There will be noble guests and attendants
who grace the occasion. It will not be otherwise ! What is
there that is nobler than to have Christ at the Church’s
banquet, as one who ministers and is ministered unto? Attach
yourself closely to Him who reclines as a guest at that
banquet. Unite yourself to God. Do not disdain the banquet
table which Christ chose, saying: ‘I am come into my garden,
O my sister, my spouse. I have gathered myrrh with my
aromatic spices. I have eaten my bread with my honey and
I have drunk wine with my milk.’11 The garden is the
Garden of Paradise, that is to say, the place of the Church’s
banquet, where Adam was before he committed sin and
where Eve sat before she become responsible for a deed of
wrong. There you will gather myrrh, that is to say, perform
the burial of Christ, so that as ‘you are buried with him by

13 Luke 13.25-27; 6.21,25.

14 Prov. 9.5.

15 Cant. 5.1.

16 Cf. St. Ambrose, Hymns 2.23,24 ( bibamus sobriam ebrietatem) .

17 Cant. 5.1.

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means of baptism into death,’18 and as He has risen from
the dead, you, too, may rise. There you will eat bread which
‘strengthens man’s heart.’19 You will taste of honey which is
a delight to the tongue. You will drink wine along with
milk, that is to say, with splendor and purity. This refers to
the purity of simplicity or to grace which is untainted and is
applied to the remission of sins. Its effects are comforting
as milk is to infants at breast, who thereby grow with
delight into the plenitude of perfect age. Approach, therefore,
this banquet. Are you afraid that the house is too narrow
and that the banquet hall may restrict you because of its
smallness? ‘O Israel, how great is the house of God and how
vast is the place of his possession! It is great and hath no
end: it is high and immense. There were the giants, those
renowned men that were from the beginning, of great stature,
expert in war. The Lord chose not them.’20 They did not
deserve to be chosen, for they had knowledge of war, not of
peace. Learn, therefore, the ways of peace, that you may be
chosen by God. But that you may perhaps be aware that the
hugeness of His house is not without adornment and that
you may find delight in serried rows of columns, ‘Wisdom
hath built herself a house, she hath hewn her out seven
pillars.’21 Our Lord Jesus, too, states that ‘in my Father’s
house there are many mansions.’22 In this house, then, you
will enjoy food for the soul and drink for the mind, so that
you may never after hunger or thirst, for he who eats here
eats to satiety and he who drinks here drinks to the point
of inebriation.

(20) But this inebriation serves as a guard over modesty,
whereas the inebriation due to wine is a stimulus to lust,

18 Rom. 6.4.

19 Ps. 103.15.

20 Bar. 3.24-27.

21 Prov. 9.1.

22 job 14.2.

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by which the fleshly organs within us are heated, our minds
are inflamed, and our souls enkindled. Lust serves as an
uncontrolled stimulus to wickedness. It never allows our
emotions to find rest. Night and day, asleep or awake, we
are disturbed by its inroads. Our minds cannot function and
unreason displaces reason. Lovers are made uneasy and
sinners incline to more sin. Even the chaste feel its effects.
The victim is overcome and kept subdued by the application
of fire. Sinfulness and wickedness become uncontrollable
and the devotee of sin can have his fervor extinguished only
by death. Hence the Apostle says: ‘Flee fornication.’23 By
a swift flight we can shun the savagery of such a rabid
mistress and escape from such vile servitude.

(21) What shall I say concerning avarice, that insatiable
longing, that very lust for gold which is ever desirous of
more — no matter what accumulated treasure is stored away.
An object of envy to all, but to himself despicable, the
avaricious man is poor in the midst of riches, slighting the
fact that his bank balance is large. His desire for gain is as
limitless as are his opportunities for making a profit. He is
so consumed with passion that the only difference between
him and an adulterer is that one has an inordinate love
for physical form, the other, a desire for a farm, a rich estate.
The avaricious man does violence to the elements by plough¬
ing the earth and cleaving the sea. He importunes the very
heavens with his vows. He ever gives expression to displeasure
whether the skies are serene or cloudy, and is censorious no
matter what his annual returns are from land or sea. Here
is clear evidence of his sickness of soul. Wherefore Eccle¬
siastes says: ‘There is a grievous illness which I have seen
under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of the owner.’ And
again he says: ‘A covetous man shall not be satisfied with

23 1 Cor. 6.18.

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money.’ ‘There is no end to their getting.’24 If you are desir¬
ous of treasure, take the invisible and the intangible which
is to be found in the heavens on high, not that which is in
the deepest veins of the earth. Be poor in spirit and you will
be rich, no matter what your worldy goods are.25 ‘A man’s
life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions,’
but in his virtue and in his faith. This richness will enrich
you if you are rich in your relations to God.26

Chapter 6

(22) You have heard the secret rites of Pleasure. You have
heard, too, what we offer from our store. I considered it
proper that these last be not concealed by outward trappings.
I wished that they be arrayed in the unadorned words of
Scripture in order that they may gleam in their own light
and that in due order they may speak out plainly for them¬
selves. The sun and the moon need no interpreter. The bril¬
liance of their light is all-sufficient — a light that fills the
entire world. Faith serves as an illumination for the inspired
Word. It is, if I may say so, an intestate witness having no
need of another’s testimony, yet it dazzles the eyes of all
mankind. Our works are not announced, therefore, to the
world. They speak aloud for themselves. Lest I seem to omit
what is required in the way of effort, certain essentials are
in this regard quite necessary. We need to have faith and
zeal, together with deeds. The three elements requisite for
the expression of man’s religious duties are defined by our
Lord Jesus: ‘Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you

24 Eccle. 5.12,9; 3.12.

25 Matt. 5.3.

26 Luke 12.15; cf. 12.21. Here ends the discourse given by Virtue which
began in (15) .

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shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you.’ And again :
‘Everyone therefore who hears these my words and acts upon
them is like a wise man.’1

(23) The person who zealously pursues these objectives
will receive an unusual blessing. He will be like the patriarch
Jacob, who eliminates all vestiges of human passion by his
faith and continence. He states: ‘God has been good to me
and I have all I need.’2 We should merit, therefore, this
goodness by the exercise of our faith, our zeal, and our
accomplishments. By this means the people of Israel found
the grace of God which itself provided them with everything.
They rejoiced in the attainment, not of the things of this
world, but in their training in virtuous deeds. Let us make
as our heirs those virtues which holy Abraham adopted for
himself in respect to his. son Isaac. He handed over his
entire inheritance to one who was wise and just. He did not
grant the right of inheritance to his maid-servants or to their
children. He presented them merely with a gift.3 Those who
are perfect in virtue receive the entire patrimony of glory,
whereas a mere trifle is bestowed on the mediocre and com¬
monplace. Accordingly, Agar, whose name in Latin means
‘dwelling near’ and Chettura, signifying ‘fragrant,’ are not
heirs of Abraham. Those whose training is mediocre are
neighbors of the home of Wisdom, not dwellers therein.
That which has a modicum of fragrance has not reached
its fulfillment in fruit. Food, not mere fragrance, is conducive
to health. Fragrance is just the herald of fruit to come. We
conclude, therefore, that those who are leaders in virtue are
to be preferred to those who are slackers and that native
dwellers- have preference over those who are merely neigh¬
bors in the land of Virtue.

1 Matt. 7.7,24.

2 Gen. 33.11.

3 Cf. Gen. 21.10-13.

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(24) This is a rational interpretation. But there is another,
a mystical one, according to which Abraham, the father of
the race, confers the entire legacy of his faith to his lawful
seed which is Christ,4 who, like a stranger on earth, strove
to restore the fragrance of this life rather than the fruit.
When the mind gives heed to this meaning, it turns away
from Pleasure and links itself to Virtue in admiration of what
is truly beautiful, what is pure in feeling, what is simple in
thought, and what is seemly in external appearance. This
means that Virtue is not arrayed ‘in the persuasive words of
wisdom but in the demonstration of the Spirit.’5 Such is the
nature of the apostolic message, in appearance clothed in all
manner of wisdom and piety, shining forth more brilliantly,
and more precious, too, than gold of any sort. Moreover,
this message inculcates the grace that proceeds from that
choral band of virtues: namely, Prudence, Temperance,
Fortitude, and Justice. Stirred in such wise, the soul strives
after those virtues to which Jacob, a man of wide experience,
had applied himself. Wherefore he is depicted as a shepherd
herding sheep.6 This signifies that he was considered to have
surpassingly good qualities to be able to lord it over his body
and his senses, and to be able to control his tongue, lest it
wander like a lost sheep — qualities which are of greater
import than the power of dominion over cities and peoples.
It is more difficult for a person to rule over himself than
over others. To exercise control over one’s mind, to restrain
one’s wrath, and to integrate the conflicting ordinances of
soul and body are characteristics of a man who is immortal
by nature, a man whom the infernal portals shall not enclose.
Hence the lawgiver himself claimed this as his right: to
pasture the flocks of Jethro (whose name means ‘superflu-

4 Cf. Gal. 3.16.

5 1 Cor. 2.4.

6 Cf. Gen. 30.31.

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ous’) and to drive them into the desert.7 This means that
he compelled the irrational loquacity of one whose language
was common and superfluous to enter into the mysteries
of sound doctrine, for ‘shepherds were repugnant to the
Egyptians.’8 All who surrender themselves to the passions of
this body of ours and indulge in its pleasures are sworn
enemies of those who stand for virtue. And so in a parable
Moses has informed us that those virtuous principles and
deeds which foolish men avoid are offerings suitable for God.
Hence Abel was a shepherd and Cain a tiller of the soil,9
who in foolish fashion could not brook the bright lineaments
of virtue that adorned his own brother.

Chapter 7

(25) ‘In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an
offering of the fruit of the ground’1 — a twofold error:
first, that his offering came after a period of time, and
second, that it was composed of fruits of the ground. Again,
the offering was not of the first fruits. This would have been
commendable from the point of view of speed and of desir¬
ability. Wherefore we have the precept: ‘When thou hast
made a vow, thou shalt not delay to pay it,’ and ‘It is much
better not to make a vow than after a vow not to perform
the things promised,’2 for, although you make a vow, you
do not carry it out. A vow is a request for a benefit from
God with a promise to give something in return. Hence,
when you have obtained what you sought, it would be an

7 Cf. Exod. 3.1.

8 Cf. Gen. 46.34.

9 Cf. Gen. 4.4.

1 Gen. 4.3.

2 Deut. 23.21; Eccle. 5.4.

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ungrateful act to delay what you have promised. But, at
times, men are apt to be heedless and forgetful of the blessings
they have obtained or to become proud and haughty and
claim the resulting favors as their own. They tend to refer
the results to their own peculiar virtues and to consider that
they, and not the Author of the favors, are responsible for
their success. There is a third category of error which is of
lesser import, but comparable because of its arrogance. We
have reference to those who actually do not deny that God
is the giver of good things, yet are of the opinion that they
have obtained them as a result of their adherence to prudence
and to the other virtues. Wherefore they believe that they
are deserving of divine grace, inasmuch as it appear that
they are by no means unworthy of such merits from God’s
beneficence.

(26) To avoid the eventuality of causing your whole
approach to prayer to be imperfect, there is a law laid down
by God, the Lawgiver, for your instruction and guidance:
‘Take heed and beware lest you forget the Lord thy God
and neglect his commandments and judgments and justice
which I command thee this day, lest after thou hast eaten
and art filled, hast built houses and dwelt in them, and when
your sheep and oxen are filled, and you have plenty of
bronze, of gold and of silver and of all things, and when thy
granaries are full, thy heart be lifted up and thou remember
not the Lord thy God.’3 When you are forgetful of yourself,
then, also, will you forget the Lord. If you realize how weak
you are, then you will discover that God is supreme over
all things and you will not be unmindful of the fact that
you owe a debt of reverence to Him.

(27) Now learn how each and every one of us may be
warned against thinking of himself as the originator of his

3 Deut. 8.11-14.

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own good: ‘Lest thou shouldst say,’ we are told, ‘in thy
heart: my own might and the strength of my own hand
achieved this virtue for me. But remember the Lord thy God
that hath given thee strength that thou mightest attain
virtue.’4 Wherefore that Apostle is to be commended who,
in not boasting of his own virtue, followed the Law and said
that he was the last of the Apostles and that we owe what
we have, not to our own merits, but to divine grace.5 He
said: ‘What hast thou that thou hast not received? If thou
hast received it, why dost thou boast as if thou hadst not
received it?’6 Here is the lesson of humility rather than of
arrogance. You should strive, therefore, to be industrious
rather than be powerful. Here is advice that is salutary.
Do not, then, make light of the experience of a surgeon who
makes a deep incision so as to rid a wound of all infection.

(28) The man who justifies himself, lest he be puffed up
with the swelling of his heart, has hearkened also to the
salutary mandate of the oracle: ‘Say not in thy heart, when
the Lord thy God shall bring to destruction those nations in
thy sight: Because of my justice hath the Lord brought me
in to possess this land, whereas the Lord will destroy these
nations before thy face for their wickedness. It is not for
thy justices nor the uprightness of thy heart that thou hast
gone in to possess that land, but because of the wickedness
of the nations, the Lord will destroy them from thy sight
and will accomplish his testament which he promised by
oath to thy fathers.’7 The testament referred to is the perfect
grace of God. God gives nothing that is imperfect. Perfect is
virtue and perfect, too, the works of virtue. This testament
is one which brings with it a legacy of what is good. Rightly,

4 Deut. 8.17,18.

5 Cf. 1 Cor. 15.9,10.

G 1 Cor. 15.4,7.

7 Deut. 9.4,5.

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too, is this testament called divine, because what is really
and truly good is bestowed on us and granted to us by
celestial mandate. And the testament referred to is one that
is old in type but new in truth, because it is sealed in blood.
By this testament we hold the pledge of divine grace: ‘For
God so loved this world that he delivered his only Son for
us all.’8 Wherefore the words of the Apostle points to the
perfection of grace: ‘How can he fail to grant us also all
things with him?’9

Chapter 8

(29) Swiftness of fulfillment is the primary characteristic
of a vow. Hence Abraham, when he was commanded to
offer his own son as a sacrifice, did not, like Cain, fulfill the
command after a period of time, but, ‘arising early in the
morning he harnessed his ass, took with him two of his
servants and his son Isaac and cut wood for a holocaust.
Then he set out on his journey and on the third day came
to a place which God had indicated to him.’1 Take note
first of the speed, haste, and eagerness of the expectant sacri-
ficer. He was delayed only by the time it took to listen to the
oracle, to harness his ass, so as to comply with God’s com¬
mands and make the necessary preparations for the sacrifice.
He was able, also, to lead away his victim to the accompa¬
niment of the two virtues of faith, namely, certainty in the
power of God and confidence in His goodness.

(30) Something can be said in reference to the time
element, that is, ‘the third day.’ Abraham’s purpose needed
the quality of continuity and perpetuity, for time is tripartite,
taking in, as it does, the past, the present, and the future.

8 John 3.16.

9 Rom. 8.32.

1 Gen. 22.3,4.

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By this we are admonished that there should not be any
trace of forgetfulness of the beneficence of God whether in
the past, present, or future. We should, rather, be steadfast
in the recollection of His grace and in our compliance with
His command. Another reason for this reference to time lies
in the fact that the person who performs a sacrifice ought
to put his trust in the brilliant light of the Trinity. For him
whose sacrifice is grounded in faith has ever around him the
light of day. For him there is no night. So in Exodus Moses
says: ‘We will go three days’ journey to sacrifice unto the
Lord our God.’2 Elsewhere, too, when God appeared to
Abraham by the oak of Mamre, we are told that ‘Abraham
raised his eyes and saw three men standing at a distance from
him. As soon as he saw them he ran to the entrance of the
tent door to meet them and bowed down to the earth and
said: My Lord, if I have found favor with you.’3 He beholds
three and one he adores. He offers three measures of fine
flour.4 Although God is immeasurable, He nevertheless holds
the measure of all things, as it is written: ‘Who hath meas¬
ured the waters in his hand and weighed the heavens with
his palm and the bulk of the earth in the hollow of his hand?’5
The holy patriarch, therefore, offered sacrifice in the secret
recesses of his heart to the Trinity made perfect in each of
the Persons. This is the spiritual meaning of the measures
of fine flour. This is the measure of fine flour mentioned in
the Gospel which was ground by the woman who ‘will be
taken.’ ‘One will be taken; the other will be left.’6 The
Church ‘will be taken’; the Synagogue ‘will be left,’ or the
man of good conscience will be taken and the man of bad
conscience, left. That you may know that Abraham believed

2 Exod. 3.18.

3 Gen. 18.2,3.

4 Cf. Gen. 18.6.

5 Isa. 40.12.

6 Matt. 24.41.

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in Christ, we read: ‘Abraham saw my day and was glad.’7
He who believes in Christ believes, too, in the Father, and
who believes in the Father believes, too, in the Son and Holy
Spirit. There were three measures, therefore, and one sub¬
stance of fine flour. This means that there was one sacrifice
which was offered to the Blessed Trinity with an equal
measure of devotion and a corresponding plenitude of piety.

(31) There is still another example of speedy and zealous
devotion. We read: ‘He ran and picked out a good tender
bullock and gave it to the servant who hastened to prepare
it.’8 Everywhere we find devotion that is ready and eager
and, hence, an acceptable gift to God. In another passage
we are recommended to anticipate the sunrise with a prayer:
‘Run to meet the rising of the sun.’9 There is the incident10
in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, saying: ‘Zacchaeus, make
haste and come down.’ And he who attained his wish to see
Christ and who further succeeded in being seen and addressed
by Christ made haste to descend and welcomed Him with
joy. And so the Lord approved of this display of his emotions
and was quick to reward him in return, saying: ‘Today
salvation has come to this house.’ The Lord hastened to per¬
form His act of kindness. He did not wait and promise to
fulfill it later, but first acted and then spoke of it, for He
said: ‘Salvation has come,’ which was, of course, the act of
one who anticipates, not of one who promises. The just man
gives an added force to his vow by acting quickly. Accord¬
ingly, our fathers ate the paschal lamb in haste, girding up
their reins, and with shoes in their feet, and standing ready
equipped for departure.11 The Pasch is the passage of the
Lord from passion to the exercise of virtue. It is called the

7 John 8.56.

8 Gen. 18.7.

9 Wisd. 16.28.

10 Luke 19.5,9.

11 Cf. Exod. 12.11.

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389

Pasch of the Lord because the truth of the Passion of the
Lord was then indicated in the type of the lamb, and its
benefits are now being observed.

(32) Go quickly, then, my soul, in search of this, in order
that you may quickly hearken unto it as did Jacob: ‘How
did you find it so quickly, my son?’12 To which Jacob,
following instructions, replied: ‘The Lord your God let me
come upon it.’ God gives quickly: ‘For he spoke and they
were made; he commanded and they were created.’13 The
Word of God is not, as a certain writer maintains,14 some¬
thing achieved, but rather being achieved, as it is written:
‘My father works even until now and I work.’15 The Word
of God came before all things. It exists before all things like
the Father and is in every respect like the Father, penetrating
all things. It is strong, and keen, keener than any sword,
extending even to the division of the soul and spirit, of joints,
also, and of marrow, a discerner of the thoughts of all.16
Apropos of this, God the Father says: ‘Thou shalt presently
see whether my word shall come to pass or not.’17 Wherever
God is, there is the Word, as He said: ‘We will come to him
and make our abode with him.’18 You may read elsewhere
concerning God: ‘I stood here before thee.’19 And so the
Word said: ‘Before thou wast under the fig tree I saw thee.’
It was said of the Word, that is, of the Son of God, that ‘in
the midst of you there stands one whom you do not know.’20
Wherever there are holy men, there stands the Word of God
in their midst, penetrating their inmost hearts and filling

12 Gen. 27.20.

13 Ps. 32.9.

14 Cl. Philo, De sacrijiciis Abelis et Caini 18.

11 John 5.17.

16 Cf. Heb. 4.12.

17 Num. 11.23.

18 John 14.23.

19 Exod. 17.6.

20 John 1.48,26.

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SAINT AMBROSE

the sea and the land. When the Word is here, it is elsewhere,
also, without a change of place. Every place is surcharged
with the presence of the Word. That which penetrates
everything and is in everything leaving no place vacant —
that exists everywhere. Where now the Word is present had
before been possessed by the Word, and contrariwise. Hence,
when a man is aware of the celerity of the Word of God, he
is quick to make a petition and as quickly attains his wish.

Chapter 9

(33) Take the example of Pharao, a man given to vain
empty thoughts. His land of Egypt was afflicted with a plague
of frogs. They gave forth a surfeit of sound, meaningless and
senseless. Moses said to Pharao: ‘Set me a time when I
shall pray for thee and for thy servants and for thy people
that the Lord may exterminate the frogs.’ Pharao, who be¬
cause of his plight should have besought him to offer prayer,
replied : ‘Tomorrow,’1 thus showing himself indifferent to the
punishment that the delay would bring, although he was still
intent on saving Egypt from the plague. And so, when his
prayer was finally granted, he was unmindful of gratitude.
Being puffed up in his heart, he forgot God.

(34) Prayer is made effective by humility. We have the
parable of the Pharisee, who in his prayer enumerated his
fasts as acts of commendation and who seemed to reproach
God as he boasted of his virtuous life. The publican, on the
other hand, ‘standing far off, would not so much as lift his
eyes to heaven but kept striking his breast, saying: O God, be
merciful to me the sinner!’ Hence, in the words of holy
Scripture, he was preferred before the other: ‘This man went

1 Exod. 8.9,10.

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391

back justified rather than the Pharisee.’2 He is justified who
confesses his own sin, as the Lord Himself has said: ‘Tell
if thou hast anything to justify thyself.’3 And David said: ‘A
sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit.’ Again: ‘A contrite and
humble heart God does not despise.’4 Jeremias also says: ‘The
soul in anguish and the troubled spirit cries to thee.’5 The
Assyrian, like Pharao, said: ‘Who are they among the gods
of the nations that have delivered the country out of my hand,
that your God will deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’6 They
were cast down from their exaltation. The just man, like
Jacob, acknowledges that all good things of whatever sort
which he has obtained come from God the Creator, saying
that all he saw was for his benefit: ‘The Lord thy God has
given these into my hands.’7 This is an example of how one
should accept the fulfillment of a prayer. David says : ‘Offer to
God the sacrifice of praise and pay thy vows to the most high.’8
To praise God is to offer Him a prayer and to give thanks for
its fulfillment. Wherefore preference above all the other lepers
is to be given to the Samaritan, who alone of the ten cured
of leprosy returned, according to the Lord’s injunction, to
give thanks and glorify Christ. Of him did Jesus say: ‘Has
no one been found to return and give thanks to God except
this foreigner?’ And He said to him: ‘Arise and go thy way,
for thy faith has saved thee.’9

(35 ) Furthermore, a vow or a prayer is commendable to
the extent that its substance is not divulged. We should keep
intact the hidden mysteries just as Abraham did when he

2 Luke 18.10-14.

3 Isa. 43.26.

4 Ps. 50.19.

5 Bar. 3.1.

6 4 Kings 18.35.

7 Gen. 27.20.

8 Ps. 49.14.

9 Luke 17.14-19.

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caused loaves to be baked under the ashes.10 This our fathers
did, too, when they made into loaves, like those which in
Greek are called ‘covered,’ the dough that was brought out of
Egypt.11 They covered this dough with ashes, an act like
that which the woman in the Gospel performed when she
buried leaven in three measures of wheat until the whole
was leavened.12 Therein is a profound lesson. Our Lord’s
teaching on prayer is revealed to us more clearly in the
Gospel : ‘But when thou prayest, go into thy room and closing
the door, pray to the Lord in secret and thy Father, who
sees in secret, will reward thee. But in praying do not multiply
words.’ And He adds: ‘For your Father knows what you
need before you ask him.’13 Your room is the secret place of
your heart and soul. Enter into this room, that is, enter into
the depths of your soul, remove yourself entirely from the
exterior vestibule, and close your door.

(36) What is meant by the phrase ‘your door’? ‘Set a
watch, O Lord, before my mouth and a door around my
lips.’14 Paul makes a prayer for himself when he says: ‘That
God may open the door of his Word for me to announce the
mystery of Christ.’15 Appropriate for the occasion was the
substance of his prayer. In preaching the Gospel he was
clearly chosen to be the one who opened the door of the
Word, from which issued the salvation of the Gentiles and
life itself for all people. We should, however, close this door
lest sin enter in and that from our tongue should issue no
unseemly word. Sin enters in when we open our mouths to
utter what is unrighteous. How does sin find entrance? We

10 Cf. Gen. 18.6.

11 Cf. Exod. 12.34.

12 Cf. Luke 13.21.

13 Matt. 6.6-8.

14 Ps. 140.3.

15 Col. 4.3.

CAIN AND ABEL : ONE

393

read: ‘In the multitude ol words you shall not escape sin.’16
When a multiplicity of words has come forth, sin has found
an entrance, for in this very multiplicity of words what we
utter is not in the slightest degree subject to measure. Because
of lack of prudence we fall into error. In fact, to give expres¬
sion to our thoughts without duly weighing our words is in
itself a grave sin.

(37) For that reason be not imprudent in your speech.
The lips of the imprudent man furnish an occasion for evil.
Do not be given to self-praise : ‘The prayer of him that
humbleth himself has pierced the clouds.’17 Do not be incau¬
tious and reveal the mysterious import of the Lord’s prayer.
Do you not know how serious it is to commit sin in the
act of saying a prayer at the very moment when you are
looking for a favor? The Lord has assured us that we
are subject to sins of speech when He says: ‘And may his
prayer be turned to sin,’18 unless you regard this to be of
slight concern to you. To believe that your prayer is not
heard unless you cry out aloud is to distrust the power of God.
Your deeds, your loyalty, your affections, your passions, all
cry out. Your blood, too, cries out as in the case of Abel, a
man gives to goodness, concerning whom God spoke these
words to Cain: ‘The voice of your brother’s blood cries to
me.’19 He who cleanses you from your secret sins hears you
in secret.20 We cannot hear a person unless he speaks. Our
thoughts, not our words, reach God. To realize this you have
only to read what the Lord Jesus said to the Jews: ‘Why
do you harbor evil thoughts in your hearts?’ These are the
words, not of one who raises a question, but of one who

16 Prov. 16.19.

17 Cf. Eccle. 10.12; 35.21.

18 Ps. 108.7.

19 Gen. 4.10.

20 Cf. Ps. 18.13.

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SAINT AMBROSE

knows. The Evangelist makes this clearer when he says:
‘Jesus knew their thoughts.’21 What the Son knows, therefore,
is known also by the Father. In this case you are aware that
the Son knew. We have testimony elsewhere of the Son’s
participation in the Father’s counsel: ‘For your Father
knows what you need before you ask him.’22 Let the Holy
Spirit furnish heat to cook the loaves under the ashes. Do
in like manner to the passions of your soul, using the heat of
the Word. Although your passions, because you have come
lately, perhaps, from the land of Egypt, are somewhat intem¬
perate, cover them up and cook them, as it were, under slow
heat, lest they be unable to endure a greater heat and thus
be half-burned rather than cooked. There are many examples
which illustrate the point that what is ill-cooked is displeasing
and that what is well-cooked is pleasing. Cherish in your
hearts the profound mysteries, lest you entrust to weak and
unrealiable ears sentiments which are rudely conceived or
not well matured. In this way your hearers are likely to take
warning and to recoil with horror. But, if they find that
these sentiments have a certain maturity, they can derive an
element of sweetness from this food of the spirit.

(38) The Lord Jesus has shown you the goodness of a
father who knows how to bestow good gifts, in order that
you may find it opportune to ask what is good of Him who
is good.23 He has urged us to pray frequently, not in a series
of outbursts, but by praying persistently and frequently.24
It often happens that a long petition is packed with empty
phrases and that one which is intermittent is fraught with
infelicities. Hence He warns us that, when we plead for

21 Matt. 9.4; Luke 6.8.

22 Matt. 6.8.

23 Cf. Luke 11.13.

24 Cf. Matt. 26.41.48.

CAIN AND ABEL : ONE

395

leniency for ourselves, we should be conscious that this is the
moment especially when we should be generous to others,
thus commending our prayer by actual deeds.26 The Apostle
also teaches us that men should pray without wrath or
contention,26 so that our petition may not be characterized
by emotional disturbance. He teaches us that we should
pray everywhere, although the Saviour says: ‘Go into thy
room.’27 But we must understand that the reference here is
not to a room surrounded by walls for the shelter of our
person. We are, rather, to understand a room within us in
which to house our thoughts and our perceptions. This
habitation for our prayers is everywhere with us — a secret
place known only to God.

(39) You are instructed above all to pray for the people,
that is, for all men,28 for all members of your family, which
is a conspicuous sign of mutual love. If you make a petition
for yourself, then you pray merely for your own satisfaction.
If everyone were thus to make a petition just for himself,
he would become, not a petitioner, but an intercessor for
favors. We conclude, therefore, that a petition for oneself
is restricted to the person petitioning, whereas a petition for
all men includes oneself, as you are a part of that number.
Hence, great is the recompense wherein all men are accorded
the benefits acquired by the prayers of each individual of
the group. In this there is no question of presumption.
Rather, it is much more the reflection of a humble heart,
bestowing benefits more abundantly.

25 Cf. Matt. 18.33-35.

2f> Cf. 1 Tim. 2.8.

27 Matt. 6.6.

28 Cf. 1 Tim. 2.1.

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SAINT AMBROSE

Chapter 10

(40) But it is now time to turn our attention to another
point which we have made concerning Cain. We have noteci
that his delay in carrying out his vow was an indication of
his negligence and presumption. The petition, in fact should
be made early, lest we appear to rely on human arts, that
is to say, on the skill of the art of medicine, thus hoping to
obtain a remedy from the juices of plants rather than request
God’s assistance. We should, first of all, flee to Him who
has the power to heal the passions of our souls. Men, on the
contrary, invert the order of their request for aid by appealing
first to men and afterward, when human assistance fails
them, their next step is to make to God an appeal for favors.

(41) Having thus disposed of that charge against Cain,
let as now discuss another fault in the performance of his
sacrifice. He made ‘an offering of the fruit of the ground,’1
whereas he owed to God the first fruit of his crop. In this
way he claimed the first fruit for himself and the remainder
he left to God. Hence, inasmuch as the soul should be
preferred to the body, just as the master should be placed
over the servant, the soul’s first fruits should take precedence
over what the body offers. The first fruit of the soul are the
primary emotions which are associated with all good thoughts
and acts. Although these emotions come later in time than
the first fruits of the body, which include nutrition, growth,
sight, hearing, touch, smell, voice — both soul and body
have a share in mind and sense — still, as senses, they exist
prior to man’s acts. To make an offering of thanksgiving
to God with pure heart and tongue is in itself an expression
of a primary act.

(42) These were the gifts made by Abel. God had regard
1 Gen. 4.3.

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397

for his offerings2 because they came from the first fruits and,
moreover, from the firstlings of the sheep, those which were
fat and sleek. Note the fact that the offering was composed
of living beings, not inanimate things. What is living, since
it is very closely related to what has a spirit, is more important
than what is earthly. The significance lies in the fact that
the living thing comes first and that next it is endowed with
spirit. The living being breathes and has a vital spirit. This
is not true of the fruits of the earth. Again, note that he
offered not seconds, but firsts — not lean animals, but fat
ones. These are the sort of animals recommended and com¬
manded by the Law, as related in the Scriptures: ‘And when
God shall have brought thee into the land of the Chanaanite,
as he swore to thy fathers and shall give it to thee. And thou
shalt set apart all male animals that openeth the womb for
the Lord, and all that is first brought forth of thy cattle and
thy flocks. Whatsoever shall be born thee of the male sex,
consecrate to the Lord. The firstborn of an ass thou shalt
change for a sheep, and if thou doth not change it, thou shalt
redeem it.’3 Consider the profound mysteries and the wealth
of wisdom imbedded in these words which in their simplicity
convey to us an abundance of grace of the spirit! The
Ghanaanites are people who are restless and uneasy. When
you enter into their land and notice how they are devoid of
morals as a result of their levity, uneasiness, and instability,
then you have an occasion to show your constancy. Do not
be disturbed by any trifling argument or flightiness of speech.
These are the characteristics of the Chanaanite, incon¬
sistency in language, emotional instability and restless con¬
tention. Be calm and present to them a tranquillity and
serenity of mind and soul. Be like one who escapes the storms
of the sea by casting anchor in a safe harbor.

2 Cf. Gen. 4.4.

3 Exfxl. 13.11-13.

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SAINT AMBROSE

(43) The attainment of this goal is promised to you by
the Lord. You are confirmed in your constancy by His
assurance, which may be likened to an oath. But God does
not solemnly swear because He has need of a believer’s trust
or because, deprived of the confirmation of witnesses, He
requires the aid of an oath. He does not act as human beings
do. We bind ourselves by a solemn oath to swear to tell the
whole truth. God’s very utterance inspires trust. His speech
is a solemn oath. God is to be trusted, but not because of an
oath. Rather, the oath is to be trusted because of God.
Wherefore, then, does Moses speak of God as if He were
in the act of taking an oath? Because we, as mortals, are
bound by limitations. We wrap ourselves in the folds of
public opinion as a sea-urchin does in his shell. We act like
a snail who cannot breathe in the free air of heaven unless
he is protected by his shell. We behave in a similar manner
because we are cabined and confined in the earthy recesses
of human custom. Wherefore, since we tend to believe that
to be true which is confirmed by a solemn oath, lest we
should falter in our trust, the same action is ascribed to God,
who Himself does not take an oath, but is the avenging
judge of those who commit acts of perjury. Hence it is
written: ‘The Lord has sworn and he will not repent: you
are a priest for ever.’4 He has assuredly kept His oath. He
has given us a High Priest for ever, in order that you may
know that there is a sanction for your oath and that an act
of perjury will have its avenger in Him who does not deceive.

( 44 ) Expelling, therefore, all uneasy and disturbing thoughts
from your mind and heart, God will give you free and com¬
plete ownership, so that you may till the soil in full security.
You will be able to reap a harvest therein and not permit the
people of Chanaan to gain entrance, that is to say, you will

4 Ps. 109.4; Heb. 5.6; 7.17.

CAIN AND ABEL : ONE

399

be able to avoid all offensive emotions. You will pluck out
by root the vices of the Gentiles. You will overturn their
groves by which truth is overshadowed and in which the clear
vision of celestial knowledge is obscured by the dread dark¬
ness of disputation.

(45) But you cannot attain this condition without the
assistance of God. Therefore He said: ‘He shall give it to
thee,’5 that is to say, He will give you thoughts that are on
the highest plane, counsels that lead to peacefulness, and
ideas that bring tranquility. When He has granted these
favors, you will set apart all that opens the womb and sacrifice
it to the Lord. God, although He has given you everything,
does not exact anything from you. He has bestowed much in
abundance for the use and support of men. There is no
question of God’s participations in an act of nature such as
eating, drinking, sleeping. These and other functions of the
body were granted to you freely by God. They are not in the
nature of favors. However, thoughts that are holy are the
gifts of God and are inspired by His grace. On the other hand,
ordinary natural and human acts ‘do not defile a man, but
it is what comes out of the mouth.’6 Deceit, false testimony,
and sacrilege are the acts which bring defilement to man.

(46) Let us make clean, therefore, the thoughts within us,
so that our offering may not displease. Therein let us search
for what opens the womb, that is to say, for what is just and
excellent, because we owe to the Lord that which is holy.
Yet we are not sanctified by carnal copulation, by conception,
and by parturition, whereby the womb of a woman is opened
and her virginity destroyed. Although a wife sanctifies a
husband and a husband the wife,7 it frequently happens that
a woman’s womb is opened without the sanctification of

5 Exod. 13.11.

6 Matt. 15.11,18.

7 Cf. 1 Cor. 7.14.

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SAINT AMBROSE

wedlock. Again, it is not a question of sanctification being
confined solely to the husband. The wife, too, partakes in it.
The natural functions of each sex are distinct in the act of
conception. The husband and wife contribute what is right
and proper to the sex of each. The wife furnishes the gener¬
ation of human succession, a function which is outside the
province of a husband.

(47) If such, therefore, be our experience in the flesh, let
us turn to an examination of what is proper to the soul. There
is no question that we have to deal here with something that
is without sex, yet it fulfills all the offices of both sexes in that
the soul conceives and, as in marriage, gives birth. Nature
provides woman with a womb in which a living person is
brought to birth in the course of time. Such, too, is that
characteristic of the soul which is ready to receive in its womb¬
like recesses the seeds of our thoughts, to cherish them and
to bring them forth as a woman gives birth to a child. This
and no other is the meaning of the words of Isaias: ‘We have
conceived and brought forth the spirit of salvation.’8 Some of
these conceptions are associated with the female sex, such
as malice of thought, petulance, sensuality, self-indulgence,
immodesty, and other vices of that nature which tend to
enervate the traits associated with what is distinctively mascu¬
line. These last are the virtues of chastity, patience, wisdom,
temperance, fortitude, and justice, which make it possible for
our minds and bodies to struggle with zeal and confidence
in our pursuit of virtue. These are the conceptions to which
the Prophet Isaias referred in the words, ‘We have conceived
and brought forth the spirit of salvation,’ that is to say, the
characteristic masculine traits conceived and gave birth to
the spirit of salvation.

8 Isa. 26.18.

BOOK TWO

UR SOULS SHOULD NOT ONLY CONCEIVE, but should
bring forth, after the allotted days are fulfilled, off¬
spring such as these, lest the judgment day find us
still-born. Of these births the Lord has said: ‘Woe to those
who are with child or have infants at the breast in those
days!’1 This birth should come to pass early in our lives.
Our thoughts should be accompanied by a series of good
works, so that our last days may find nothing imperfect or
leave anything incompletely moulded in the anvil of our
life’s work. Make haste, therefore, and let your soul put your
conceptions into form, bring them forth in good time, and
quickly give sustenance to the offspring.

(2) The form and importance of this offspring is demon¬
strated in the words of the Apostle: ‘My dear children, with
whom I am in labor again until Christ is formed in you.’2
This is the form into which the whole contents of our minds
should be poured and Christ should appear conspicuously
in the life-giving womb of our souls. Our offspring should
be faith and our sustenance, the precepts of Wisdom. With
these precepts the infancy of our heart should be imbued,
its boyhood be instructed, its youth be rejuvenated, and its

1 Luke 21.23.

2 Gal. 4.19.

401

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SAINT AMBROSE

old age grow old and grey: ‘A spotless life is old age.’3 That
old age of the soul is good when no stains of perfidy have
stained it. Hence Paul defends his offspring from this stain —
‘through the Gospel did I beget you,’4 he says — lest a gust
of wind of false doctrine may severely affect them in their
infancy. The Apostle brought into being, therefore, masculine
thoughts. He yearned to bring to perfect manhood in the
unity of the faith the people whom he instructed how to
attain, in the recognition of the Son of God, ‘the mature
measure of the fullness of Christ.’5 He knew that the sacrifice
was an acceptable one to God, for we read in the Scriptures:
‘Thou shalt set apart all that openeth the womb for the
Lord.’ To this he added: ‘AH that opens the womb of thy
castle and of thy herds whatsoever thou shalt have of the
male sex, thou shalt consecrate to the Lord,’6 so that no
detail be missing and everything be made clear.

(3) The Apostle had spoken of the offspring of the better
sort, that is, all that is associated with and is capable of
reasoning. To this category he now added those of the
common crowd whose concern is with what might be callad
perceptions of a lowlier kind. These are compared to cattle,
devoid of reasoning power. However, these last, when directed
by a righteous ruler, are easily tamed to follow his commands.
They are trained to endure the yoke and to quicken their
pace, to stop and turn aside at the words of their master.
They become accustomed to perform and undertake any
task which they are bidden to do as part of their daily routine
of service. In this way, nature is overcome by the power of
discipline. Those animals which do not have a share in our
substance nevertheless recognize the words of command we

3 Wisd. 4.9; cf. Cicero, Pro Archia 7. 16.

4 1 Cor. 4. .15.

5 Eph. 4.13.

6 Exod. 13.12.

CAIN AND ABEL : TWO

403

give. While they are not themselves possessed of reason by
nature, they assume by a sort of transfer the reasoning powers
that we have in our own nature. We see horses which are
aroused to action by the enthusiasm of the crowd, which
rejoice in applause and pleasure in being petted by their
master.7 We perceive that fierce lions lay aside their natural
ferocity and at command assume an air of submission. They
throw off their wild natures and adopt our manners and,
although they are themselves objects of terror, they learn
even to have fear. A dog is slain to inspire fear in a lion. The
animal who is aroused to anger because of injury to himself
is curbed by beholding one inflicted on another, whereby
his will is broken. How often it happens that they learn to
endure hunger even at the sight of their favorite food !
How often through fear of their master do they under quick
and unexpected orders refrain from food even when their
jaws are ready to devour it! Thus they become oblivious of
their own wills while complying with ours. How different
from those wild animals or those herds of horses or flocks
of any kind which run wild without anyone to control them!
Deprived of any guidance or direction, they give free vent
to their wild nature. This is the reason for placing herdsmen,
shepherds, and guard of all sorts in charge of animals. Each
one performs his individual duty, directing his charges in
accordance with the type of animal committed to his care.

(4) We see, therefore, that man is governed by two
sorts of emotion, one that is under control and the other
uncontrollable. In the latter case man rushes headlong,
carried away by his animal nature, which itself lacks stability
and co-ordination, into physical pleasures which are devoid
of reason. In the former instance man’s emotions are disci¬
plined, subject, as it were, to the guidance and moderating

7 Cf. Virgil, Georgies 3.185,186.

404

SAINT AMBROSE

influence of a leader. Whenever man’s nature is under
control, there it shows itself to be masculine and perfect.
When, however, man’s nature acts without a ruling force,
there we find evidence of what might be called a domination
exercised and imposed on man by the meaner sort. Thus
we have a situation wherein a community which is deprived
of the counsels of its king and chief citizens is subject to
weakness in its body politics and wastes away its strength in
effeminate action. Hence the apostolic injunction regarding
the law in the members warring against the law of the mind,
making a person a prisoner to the law of sin. Wherefore, in
order to deliver himself from the body of this death, Paul
placed his hopes, not in his own virtue, but in the grace of
Christ.8 It is clear, therefore, that those emotions which are
in accordance with the law of the mind emanate from God’s
goodness, whereas all other emotions are dominated by the
body.

(5) Those emotions, therefore, which are morally good are
the first-fruits of our senses, whereas the others are of com¬
mon and indifferent stock. This classification was used by
Moses, following in that respect the language of the Jews,
in his reference to the threshing floor of the Law: ‘The
tithes of your threshing floor and of your wine-vat thou
shalt not delay to pay: thou shalt give the first bom of thy
sons to me.’9 All the morally good emotions of your senses
are the first fruits of the threshing floor of the soul in such
a manner as grain is separated in an actual bam floor.10
On this barn floor the wheat and the barley are separated
by a winnowing process from the chaff and from other
impurities, while the solid parts, now rid of their lighter
coating, settle on the floor. In a similar fashion our thoughts,

8 Cf. Rom. 7.23-25.

9 Exod. 22.29.

10 Cf. Num. 15.20.

CAIN AND ABEL : TWO

405

when sifted, provide a solid food and pure nourishment for
the exercise of virtue, as we read in the Scriptures: ‘Not by
bread alone does man live, but by every word of God.’11
What is of no real value is dispersed like smoke or like a
mist, which presents opportunities for the exercise of wicked¬
ness, while at the same time it is deleterious to one’s eyes.
Wickedness is rightfully compared to smoke which obscures
one’s vision with the darkness of this world.12

(6) On this subject the Lord says: ‘When you are come
into the land to which I bring you and shall eat of the bread
of that country, you shall separate first-fruits of the Lord of
the thing you eat. As you separate first-fruits of your barn-
floors, so also shall you give first-fruits of your dough to the
Lord.’13 We are a composite of diverse elements mixed to¬
gether, cold with hot, and moist with dry. This admixture
is the source of many pleasures and manifold delights of the
flesh. But these are not the first-fruits of this body of ours.
Since we are composed of soul and body and spirit, the first
place is held by that admixture in which the Apostle desires
that we find sanctification: ‘And may the God of peace
himself sanctify you completely and may your spirit and
soul and body be preserved sound, blameless at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.’14 The first-fruit of this admixture
are those of the spirit, that is to say, the creative and gen¬
erating thoughts that emanate from the soul in its vigor.
Only those thoughts are first-fruits which are devoid of malice
and wickedness and all kinds of wrong-doing. There are, of
course, certain bodily pleasures which are necessary. These
are the pleasures of eating, sleeping, drinking, walking, and
like functional processes. These, however, are not in the cate-

11 Luke 4.4.

12 Cf. Prov. 10.26.

13 Num. 15.18-21.

14 1 Thess. 5.23.

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SAINT AMBROSE

gory of first-fruits. The Lord has put His stamp of approval,
not on these, but on the others which we have mentioned,
those thoughts and actions which imply chastity, piety, faith,
and devotion. A clear example of this sort of thing is the
offering of the patriarch Isaac. Here a father, totally immune
to human emotion, proceeded to an act of sacrifice. He
offered to God a clean victim and one devoid of fear and of
cupidity of the flesh, although one might expect that his
eagerness to offer would give way to his very real devotion
as a father.

Chapter 2

( 7 ) Let us consider the implications of the word ‘first-fruits.’
Should they be measured from the point of view of time or
of sanctity, in other words, does everything that is first-born
have the sanctity of first-fruit? First-fruits are sanctified
according to the Law,1 because therein we find the best kind
of sacrifice, one which presents evidence of speedy fulfilment
of a vow. Again, first-fruits become sanctified, not by time,
but by devotion. The produce does not itself alone constitute
sanctity. Hence, if the produce of the soil comes forth
speedily without an accompanying fulfilment of a vow, an
offence is committed. Not all first-born are therefore sancti¬
fied, but everything sanctified is also first-born. Hence, Cain
was first-born, but not sanctified. Sanctified, too, was Israel,
God’s people, but they were not first in time. Yet Israel is called
first-born, as it is written in the books of the Prophets: ‘Israel
is my first-born.’2 And Levi was sanctified, but he was not first¬
born, for we hear that he was Lia’s third son.3 Furthermore,
the Levites were called first-born. Their name is derived from

1 Cf. Num. 18.8,10.

2 Exod. 4.22.

3 Cf. Gen. 29.34.

CAIN AND ABEL! TWO

407

that fact, as it is written in Numbers: ‘Behold, I have taken
the Levites from the children of Israel, for every first-bom that
openeth the womb among the children of Israel and the
Levites shall be mine, for every first-born in mine. Since I
struck every first-bom in the land of Egypt, I have sanctified
whatever is first born in Israel.’4 Therefore, the Levites were
called first-born who were preferred by reason of their sancti¬
fication far beyond the rest of the children of Israel. Where¬
fore, listen to what the Apostle says in regard to the first-born :
‘But you have come to Mount Sion and to the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and to the company
of tens of thousands of angels and to the first-born of the
churches which were enrolled in heaven.’5 He has set down in
order here four things: Mt. Sion, the city of Jerusalem, the
company of the angels, and the churches of the first-born. The
Lord took, therefore, the Levites from the midst of the people
of Israel because He did not wish that they be involved in
human cares. Rather, He wished to make them ministers
of religion, and He set aside for Himself the first-bom who
open the womb of the Spirit. Hence they were not from
the womb of nature like sinners given over to wrong-doing
of all sorts, but are chosen for their avoidance of worldly
things. Wherefore they have no part in what belongs to the
crown and are not reckoned as part of the populace. They
possess the Word of God in their own hearts, as we read in
the Gospel: ‘Where two or three are gathered together for
my sake, there I am in the midst of them.’ And elsewhere:
‘In the midst of you there stands one whom you do not know.’6

(8) We realize, therefore, that above all things our trust
in God should commend us to Him. Once we have this trust,

4 Num. 3.12,13.

5 Heb. 12.20,23. The manuscripts here have the plural ecclesiarum;

Schenkl would read ecclesiae.

6 Matt. 18.20; John 1.26.

408

SAINT AMBROSE

let us put all our efforts into making our works perfect. This
is indeed a full and perfect sacrifice, as the Lord tells us
Himself in speaking of gifts and contributions that are His:
‘You will offer to me my oblation in my festal days,’7 sparing
nothing, setting nothing aside, but offering a full, complete,
and perfect sacrifice. By ‘festal day’ is meant the Lord’s Day,
a time appropriate to acts of perfect virtue. These acts are
made perfect if our souls quell the anxieties of this world
and the enticements of the flesh in a victorious struggle
over pleasure and its attractions. Thus the soul is free from
the world and dedicated to God, departing not even in the
slightest way from the path of good intentions and casting
aside all distractions, whether of pleasure or of toil. The wise
man, and no one else, celebrates with due solemnity this
festal day. How difficult it is for one to be completely immune
from distractions of this sort! Then you may learn to know
the difference between what is a masculine and what is a
feminine trait, for there is no virtue without toil and toil is
a stepping stone to virtue. The very words of the Law point
this out: ‘The first-born of an ass thou shalt change for a
sheep.’8 The Law has established that an unclean animal
shall not be part of a sacrifice, but in its place a clean
animal be offered. The Law orders that the offspring of an
ass which is unclean should be changed for a sheep, which
is a clean animal and suitable for sacrifice. This is the
literal meaning. If one were to pursue this matter further
and seek for the spiritual sense of this passage, he will discover
that the ass is a laborious animal, whereas the sheep is
productive. This may be interpreted to mean that labor
should be exchanged for produce, since the final results of
work is the produce thereof. Or we may interpret the passage

7 Num. 28.2.

8 Exod. 13.13.

CAIN AND ABEL : TWO

409

in this manner: Every action or labor of yours you can
make commendable by the pure and simple manner in which
you perform it.

(9) ‘And if thou do not redeem it,’ we are told, ‘thou
shalt kill it.’9 The order literally states that another animal
be offered for the unclean one or be redeemed by a price,
lest there be something inferior or something unclean in
the tithe offering. If we examine more deeply into the
meaning of this, we perceive that we should refrain from
anything which is destined to bear no fruit. He who redeems
does, in fact, free himself and in doing so pays off a certain
amount of indebtedness. Those works should be avoided
which do not lead to real fruitfulness and to good results. I
refer to those works of a wordly sort which cannot long
endure. These works are barren, and devoid of truth and,
though they are pursued with the greatest diligence, provide
nothing for the soul. All of those works that impose servitude
on our souls are of no avail, even if they are not entirely
lacking in effectiveness. A mighty victory can, for example,
take place and the accompanying glory of a triumphal march.
But we discover frequently that these same people see their
previous victory now changed to defeat. The tables are turned
when the issue of war finds them in the hands of their
enemies. Those who were victorious before now taste the
misery of defeat. It is imperative, therefore, that you direct
all your labors towards God and obtain His approval. The
athlete, for example, relies on his own powers, not on those
of another, in order to win a victory. But then, when the
spectacle begins, he inclines to doubt his chances. When he
has attained the crown of victory, then he becomes aware
that this worldly glory fades away more quickly than the very
leaves of his wreath of victory. When a pilot brings his ship

9 Ibid.

410

SAINT AMBROSE

to shore, he gives no thought to putting an end to his labors.
He searches immediately for still another opportunity to
work. When the soul is released from the body and has
reached a terminus of this life, there is still the dubious
problem of the judgment to come. What is thought to be a
terminus turns out to none at all. Wherefore let us by our
prayers, our purity of conscience, and our spirit of charity
cling closely to our God. Let us gain His favor by beseeching
Him to rescue and free us from the cares of this world as
from some cruel and boorish master.10 Let the substance of
our prayers be that we be released from slavery11 to this
world, so that we may obtain the liberty of celestial knowl¬
edge, wherein alone is true freedom.

Chapter 3

(10) What is related in the Law may be cited in support
of our argument. When the Egyptians oppressed the Jewish
people by condemning them to various labors, to toils in
rocky or in muddy soil, the children of Israel groaned and
caused the Lord to have pity on them. And He said to
Moses: ‘I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel,
wherewith the Egyptians have oppressed them into slavery,
and I have remembered my covenant. Therefore say to the
children of Israel: I am the Lord who will bring you out of
the power of the Egyptians and will deliver you from bondage
to them and redeem you with a high arm and great judg¬
ments. And I will take you to myself for my people. I will be
your God. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God
who will bring you out of the power of the Egyptians and
will bring you into the land, concerning which I lifted up

10 Cf. Cicero, De senectute 14.47.

11 Cf. Virgil, Eclogues 1.40.

CAIN AND ABEL: TWO

411

my hand.’1 See how the Hebrew people enjoyed the fruits
of their labor. They toiled in the mire with the hope of an
eternal kingdom. Wherefore in the Scriptures the Lord took
pity even on the empty toil of the Gentiles in the brickyards,
a prey to filthy superstition and the pleasures of the flesh.
A solid wall of faith, however, they were unable to build.
Christ addresses the people as if speaking to the offspring of
a beast of burden: ‘Come to me, all ye who labor, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from
me, for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find
rest for your souls.’2 I seem to be more fully aware of the
words and the secret meaning of the Law when I read
that call of Christ. He has taught us that an ass should be
exchanged for a sheep or redeemed for a price. In this way
we not only can exchange an ass for a sheep, that is, an
animal that is unclean for one that is clean, but we can even
redeem it. A deeper meaning seems to be implied in this
statement. If by a sacrifice of purification and by the rite of
baptism we first cleanse ourselves of the stains of our offenses,
then we are prepared to redeem those very sins of ours by
the exercise of good works and by the price of faith and
by contrition.

(11) Our price is the blood of Christ. Hence the Apostle
Peter says: ‘Not with gold or silver you were redeemed, but
with the precious blood.’ And Paul says: ‘You have been
bought with a price. Do not become the slaves of men.’3
Therefore, not without reason did they marvel in the Gospel
on seeing the Lord Jesus sitting on a colt, because the race
of the Gentiles is to Christ like a victim which, according to
the Law, is considered to be unclean. Hence we read in the
Scriptures that the Levites redeemed them.4 In this way they

1 Exod. 6.5-8, cf. 2.23,24.

3 Matt. 11.28,29.

3 1 Peter 1.18; 1 Cor. 7.23.

4 Cf. Exod. 13.13.

412

SAINT AMBROSE

would be able by the sanctity of their lives and by their
prayers to take away the sins of their people. Here in the
figure of the Lamb we have the true Levite who was to come
and preside over the mysteries. By His own Passion He would
take away the sins of the world.5 The word ‘Levite’ means
‘raised up for me’ or ‘on me he is light.’ The word ‘Levite’
bears witness to a perfection in virtue by which the people
attain holiness. He, therefore, is the expected who was born
of a virgin and who came for my salvation and for the
salvation of the entire world. For me He was sacrificed; for
me He tasted death; and for me, too, He rose from the dead.
In Him has the redemption of all men been undertaken; in
Him is their resurrection. He is the true Levite. We, His
Levites, He would bring closer to God so that we might pray
to Him unceasingly, hope for salvation from Him, shun all
worldly affairs, and finally be numbered among the elect,
as it is written: ‘O Lord, possess us.’6 Then alone is found
true possession when we are not subject to the temptations
of life and when we bring forth perfect fruit for all time.
The Levite is one who redeems, because a man of wisdom
redeems the man who is weak and foolish. He is like a
physician who revives the spirit of his helpless patient. In
imitation of that Physician who came down from heaven,
he assuages the convalescent with healing words of wisdom,
in order to point out to men the ways of wisdom and to
reveal the paths of wisdom to little ones.7 He perceived that
those who suffer cannot be healed without a remedy. For
this reason He bestowed medicine on the sick and by His
assistance made health available to all, so that whoever died
could ascribe to himself the real causes of his death. That
man was unwilling to be cured, although he had a remedy

5 Cf. John 1.29.

6 Exod. 34.9.

7 Cf. Ps. 18.8; Matt. 11.25.

CAIN AND ABEL: TWO

413

at hand which could effect his escape from death. The mercy
of God has been made manifest to all. Those who perish,
therefore, perish through their own negligence, whereas
those who are saved are freed by the judgment of God, who
wishes all men to be saved and to come to the recognition
of truth.8 Hence, if Sodom had fifty just men, it would not
have been destroyed. If it had ten just men, Sodom would
have been saved,9 because a declaration of the remission of
sin would have rescued their souls from servitude, and the
plenitude of perfect knowledge would not have allowed
their hearts to be consumed in the devouring flames of lust.

(12) The reference just noted to people in large numbers
has a special significance. Groups of people of like character
have a tendency to lift the moral tone and to contribute to
society as a whole something of their own selves, which is a
contributory factor to the group’s preservation. Numbers
blunt the force of envy, confound wickedness, arouse men to
virtue, and enhance gracious acts. No one ought to begrudge
praise to another person who benefits him. The man given
to wickedness often imitates the character of the person who
attempts to aid him. At any rate, he reveres him and often
even loves him. The same man, too, if he knows how to
benefit other men, is made better by this exercise of his zeal.
In that way he binds people together and increases the toler¬
ance of citizens for each other, thereby bringing fame to
their communities. How happy is that city which has many
just men! How celebrated does it become in the lips of all
men ! How unqualifiedly blessed for ever is that city reckoned
to be ! How happy I am to see so many gentle and wise people
live long lives, when I behold chaste maidens and dignified
and elderly widows living virtuous lives ! The latter constitute

8 Cf. John 3.16-21; Luke 19.10.

9 Cf. Gen. 18.24-32.

414

SAINT AMBROSE

in a way a venerable senate of the Church to be revered and
imitated because of their conspicuous air of gravity — a fact
which is conducive in itself to greater charm of manners!
My joy is not for these people themselves who are subject to
the manifold ills of this world while they are alive. I rejoice,
rather, that many are benefited by the lives of such people.
Again, when a person like this passes away, although he has
by his prolonged age deferred death,10 I am greatly afflicted
for the reason that a host" of younger men have been deprived
of the stout defence of old age. Wherefore the demise of
citizens of dignity and wisdom, both men and women, gives
us the first indication that a city is destined to perish or that
ruin is imminent. When this takes place, the gates are open
for a flood of misfortunes. A city, therefore, in its entirety
is strengthened by the presence of men of wisdom in its midst
and is weakened at their departure. If their physical presence
is important, their discourse, also, when it is in a high plane
of serious counsel, tends to put courage in the heart and soul
of each and every individual. If we add to this the practice
of wide reading,11 then we have a group of senators whose
wise precepts and counsel constantly have their effects in
that interior city which is in the heart of each one of us.

Chapter 4

(13) We see, then, why Moses called the Levites first-born
and redeemers of others, since they offer to one man the
mentality of old age, corresponding to his own mature
judgment and usefulness, and to another grant redemption.
Hence Moses indicated that the cities of the Levites in the

10 Cf. Virgil, Aeneid 12.395.

11 Cl. Cicero, De senectute 11.38.

CAIN AND ABEL: TWO

415

Old Testament served as a refuge,1 because he who fled to
where the living Word of God resides,2 a place like a city
well-protected and defended, that person attained for himself
the kind of liberty which endures. If a man was guilty of
involuntary homicide and if he took refuge in the cities of the
Levites, no one was permitted to slay that person, provided
he had his residence in those cities. In a similar way, if a
person feels sorrow for a sin which was the result of an
imprudent or involuntary act, the Law releases him from
every penalty due to his crime, provided he remains in resi¬
dence among the Levites and has no intention of leaving
those instructors who dispense the commands of God.

(14) Do not think it unreasonable that men given to evil
reside together with men of good will and that those stained
with guilt live side by side with the godly. Those men who
have been polluted with the contagion of sin have need of
purification. Thus there is a certain agreement of contraries.
The Levite who has relinquished the pleasures of this world is
an exile from guilt. In the same way, the person who is guilty
of homicide is a fugitive from his native land. There is this
difference, however, that the latter abandons his people
because of fear of the Law, whereas God’s minister renounces
all contacts with human passions and frees himself from the
exigencies of concupiscence by his pursuit of virtue. This
statement is not an exaggeration. In a sense, the Levite does
violence to himself, so as to rid himself of bodily pleasures
with consequent annihilation of his own flesh. For example,
Moses slew an Egyptian and become a fugitive from the
land of Egypt so as to avoid the king of that land.3 But he
would not have slain the Egyptian if he had not first destroyed
in himself the Egyptian of spiritual wickedness and had not
relinquished the luxuries and honors of the king’s palace.

1 Cf. Num. 3.12; 35.6-8.

2 Cf. John 1.14.

3 Cf. Exod. 2.11.

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SAINT AMBROSE

He considered that the reproach of Christ was a far better
patrimony than the treasures of Egypt. To the foolish this
indeed seeems to be a reproach, but the reproach of the Cross
of Christ is in reality God’s power and wisdom.4

(15) There are, in fact, two main types of power in God.
There is the power which forgives and the power which
punishes. Sins are forgiven by the Word of God of which
the Levite is the interpreter and, indeed, the executor. Sins
are forgiven by the priest in his sacred office and ministry.
They are punished, too, by men who exercise power tempo¬
rarily, that is to say, by judges. The Apostle says: ‘Dost thou
wish then not to fear the authority? Do what is good and
thou wilt have praise from it. For it is God’s minister to thee
for good. But if thou dost what is evil, fear, for not without
reason does it carry the sword. For it is God’s minister, an
avenger to execute wrath on him who does evil.’5 Sins are
punished even by people, as we read in the Scriptures,6
because the Jewish people were often waylaid by men of
other races. Because of some offense against God’s majesty
these men were frequently aroused by His command. Even
the person who unwittingly committed a murder was still
within the ministry of God, since the Law makes this state¬
ment regarding him: ‘God delivered him into his hands.’7
His hands, therefore, served as an instrument of divine
punishment. The Levite is, then, the minister who remits,
whereas the man who in the example just cited unwittingly
and unwillingly struck another in a homicidal act became in
fact an administrator of divine punishment. See to it that
Christ is infused into the act of slaying an impious man
and that sanctification accompany and be part of your
attempt to abolish what is abominable.

4 Cf. 1 Cor. 1.23-25.

5 Rom. 13.3,4.

6 Cf. Isa. 13.17.

7 Exod. 21.13.

CAIN AND ABEL : TWO

417

(16) The Lord has said: ‘On that day in which I shall
slay every first-born in the land of Egypt, I shall sanctify to
myself whatsoever is first-bom in Israel.’8 This does not refer
to one occasion or to one crisis, but to all time. Once wicked¬
ness is renounced, virtue finds immediate entrance. The
departure of evil brings about the introduction of virtue and
the same effort that banishes crime leads to an adherence
to innocence. You have an example of that in the Gospel.
At the moment when Satan entered into the heart of Judas,
Christ departed from him. At the very instant that Judas
received one, he lost the other: ‘And after the morsel Satan
entered into him. Jesus therefore said to him, “What thou
dost, do quickly.”9 Why is this? Because, once Satan found
entrance into Judas, at that moment there came about his
departure from Christ. He is ejected, then, and banished,
since the person who trafficked with the Devil could have
no fellowship with Christ. There is no harmony between
Christ and Belial.10 Wherefore, on receiving the command
to leave, Judas immediately departed, as we read in the words
of the Evangelist: ‘When he had received the morsel, he
went out quickly. Now it was night.’11 It was not merely a
question of departure, but it was one which was immediate
and at night. The fact that one who deserted Christ should
be connected with the darkness of night should excite no
wonder. Just as the person who is received by the Devil is
excluded from Christ, so on the other hand Zacchaeus, at
the moment when he forsook gain, proceeded to welcome
Christ. Marveling at the way Zacchaeus climbed a tree to
see Him, the Lord was moved to say: ‘Zacchaeus, make
haste and come down, for I must stay in your house today.
And he made haste and came down, and welcomed him

8 Num. 3.13.

9 Cf. John 13.2,27.

10 Cf. 2 Cor. 6.15.

11 John 13.13.

418

SAINT AMBROSE

joyfully.’13 By receiving Christ he got rid of avarice. He sent
perfidy into exile and renounced deceit. Otherwise, there
is no reason for the entrance of Christ unless vice is excluded,
because He has no barter with wrong-doing. Hence He
ejected the money-changers from the temple, because He
did not wish to associate with them.13 Wherefore, being
aware that he could not receive Christ if he followed his old
way of life, Zacchaeus ordered his former vices to leave his
home in order that Christ might find an entrance therein.
While people murmured that Jesus had gone to be a guest
of a man who was a sinner, Zacchaeus was right in inviting
the Lord to stay: ‘Behold, Lord, I give one-half of my pos¬
sessions to the poor and if I have defrauded anyone of
anything, I restore it twofold.’14 In this way he replied to
those who said that a sinner ought not to offer hospitality to
Christ. He said, in effect: ‘I am no longer a publican, no
longer the Zacchaeus of old, the thief and the cheat. I restore
what I have taken. I, who used to take, am now the
giver. I, who formerly despoiled the poor, now make resti¬
tution. I, who plundered what belonged to others, now give
of my own.’ Error took to flight, once Christ made entrance.
Where the light of eternal light shone, there no longer
existed that blindness caused by pleasures of the flesh.

Chapter 5

(17) We have discussed the problems connected with the
first-born. Now let us turn our attention to the characteristic
of fatness or richness of which David speaks intelligibly when
he says: ‘Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness.’
Before that he had said: ‘And may thy whole burnt offering

12 Luke 19.5,6.

13 Cf. Matt. 21.12,13.

14 Luke 19.7-9.

CAIN AND ABEL : TWO

419

be made fat.’1 By this he means that the requirements for a
sacrifice are that it be fat or rich, that it be glistening and
that it be weighted with the sustenance inspired by faith and
devotion and by the rich nourishment of the Word of God.
Frequently we use the word ‘fat’ or ‘rich’ when we refer
to something that is heavily and elaborately adorned, and
to the finest victim as one that is not thin and scrawny.
Wherefore we denominate as ‘rich’ a sacrifice which we
desire to be regarded as the ‘finest.’ We also have proof of
this when we consult the prophetic passage in the Scriptures
where fine cows are compared to years of fertility.2

Chapter 6

(18) Now let us reflect on the meaning of the Lord’s
words, ‘If you offer rightly and you do not divine rightly,
thou hast sinned. Hold thy peace.’1 This signifies that God is
not appeased by the gifts that are offered, but by the dispo¬
sition of the giver. Hence Cain, who offered a gift which
was denounced, was conscious of the fact that his offering
was fraudulent, that his sacrifice was not acceptable to God,
and he was downcast. When ‘the mind is conscious of right,’2
then there is occasion for veritable joy — a joy of the spirit —
when one’s purpose and deeds are commendable to God.
Gain’s sadness, therefore, bears testimony to his consciousness
of right and is an indication of his failure. Again, because
he offered a gift and did not in addition make a just and
righteous division of it, for that reason he fell into error.

(19) There are four ways by which a sacrifice may be

1 Ps. 62.6; 19.4.

2 Cf. Gen. 41.26.

1 Cf. Gen. 4.7.

2 Virgil, Aeneid 1.604.

420

SAINT AMBROSE

made acceptable. The sacrifice should consist of a gift, the
newest of the new, or it should be dried or broken into
pieces, or it should be unbroken.3 The ‘newest of the new’
belongs to the early season of the year and is consistent with
the nature of first-fruits. Now, it has been made clear to
us that this refers to those who are renewed by the sacrament
of baptism. That, in fact, is the real sacrifice of first-fruits
when a person offers himself as a victim and begins of himself
to act so as to ensure in the future an offering of a gift that
is his very own.4 The new faith of those who have been
made new is strong and vigorous, seeking for itself an
increase of virtue. The faith which is weak and slack — the
faith which has the sluggish and slothful character of old
age — is not one that is fit for sacrifice. We need a faith
which blossoms with the lush growth of wisdom and with
the youthful vigor of divine knowledge, a faith, moreover,
which has the sap of ancient doctrine. There ought to be a
concurrence of the old and the new, as in the case of the
Old and the New Testament. It is written: ‘Eat the oldest
of the old store and, new coming on, cast away the old.’5
Let our food be a knowledge of the patriarchs. Let our
minds banquet in the prophetic books of the Prophets. Such
nourishment should our minds partake of, the truth of the
body of Christ, and not just the external appearance of a
lamb. Our eyes should not be affected by the shadow cast
by the Law. Rather, the clear grace of the Lord’s Passion
and the splendor of His Resurrection should illuminate our
vision.

(20) If you offer a sacrifice of the first-born of a sheep,
a rich burned offering, then you should make an offering
of those first-fruits as they are specified in Scripture, according

3 Cf. Lev. 2.14.

4 Cf. Rom. 12.1,6.

5 Lev. 26.10.

CAIN AND ABEL : TWO

421

to which your faith ought to be tested as if by fire and ought
to glow with the Holy Spirit. Hence Jacob cooked a mess
of pottage and thus took the benefits from his own brother,
who would surely have attained them by the exercise of a
robust faith. One, therefore, increased in strength and vigor,
while the other, who was unable to cook his own food,
became weak and feeble. “ Let your soul acquire virtue by
being burnt, as with fire, by the Word of God. See the
example of Joseph: ‘The word of the Lord inflamed him.’7
Let your faith be roasted like the ears of corn gathered by
the harvesters, who choose to gather in the crop soon after
it has been browned in the heat of the sun. Frequent reading
of the Scriptures, therefore, strengthens the mind and ripens
it by the warmth of spiritual grace. In this way our powers
of reasoninng are strengthened and the influence of our
irrational passions brought to naught. Wherefore Esau was
weakened when the bonds of virtue were loosed, while those
who girded up their loins and were bidden not to eat ‘any¬
thing raw nor boiled in water,’ but who were ordered to
eat the head of a lamb roasted in the fire, as it is written in
Exodus — these men with stout and trusting hearts crossed
the sea on dry ground.8 In the Gospel, too, the Lord ate ‘a
piece of broiled fish,’9 whereby the plenitude of His Spirit
was renewed. Perhaps Esau was weak because he desired
food that was cooked in water. Food which was unsuitable
for himself Jacob gave to one who was infirm.

(21) Our offerings and our prayers ought not to be lacking
in order. On the contrary, they should follow a precise pat¬
tern. In every case where there is disorder there is room for
precision. Especially is this true of prayers and sacrifices which

6 Cf. Cen. 25.29,30.

7 Ps. 101.19.

8 Cf. Exod. 12.9-11.

9 Luke 24.42.

422

SAINT AMBROSE

lack clarity unless they have clear divisions. Hence the Law
commands that the limbs of a victim be cut up, for the most
part.10 The Law also commands that holocausts be offered,
so that the sacrifice be pure without admixture or covering.
The reason is that our faith, pure and devoid of all externals,
may thus become fervent. In that way our faith may not be
enshrouded in dubious and false opinion, but appear in its
pure and unadorned simplicity. Again, faith may be divided
into suitable parts. Virtue, in fact, is such that is can be
divided into several species, the chief of which are four:
Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, and Justice. Let your
prayer, therefore, give forth a fragrance of Prudence, aiming
at knowledge of God and the truth of faith. Let it have the
fragrance of Temperance, a virtue which the Apostle believed
should be required of married people: ‘Do not deprive each
other, except perhaps by consent, for a time, that you may
give yourselves to prayer.’ The Law commands that these
who intend to perform a sacrifice be chaste for one or two
days previous.11 Let your prayer show fortitude, so as not
to be interrupted by fear nor be affected by weariness. Pres¬
sure of adversity should make us all the more strenuous in
prayer. Our supplications should retain an element of Justice.
If Judas had adhered to that virtue, his prayer would not
have become sinful. At what time ought we to refrain from
unjust thoughts and deeds if not when we call upon the
justice of God? And so the Lord recommends us to seek
justice, saying: ‘Blessed are they who suffer persecution for
justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’12 Judas
did not have this justice; otherwise, he would not have
betrayed his Lord and Master. Cain, too, did not possess
this virtue; otherwise, he would have offered to the Lord

10 Cf. Lev. 24.42.

11 1 Cor. 7.5; cf. Exod. 19.10-15.

12 Matt. 6.33; 5.10.

CAIN AND ABEL : TWO

423

first-fruits of the soil, not those of inferior quality. So, too,
he failed to divide his gifts into parts. Hence the reply: ‘If
you offer rightly and you do not divide equally, thou hast
sinned. Hold thy peace.’13 You see the seriousness of the
offense. Where is no division into parts, then the whole sacri¬
fice comes to naught.

(22) One question remains for us to discuss. How much
time should we spend in prayer? The Lord spent a night in
prayer.14 He did this not for His own benefit, but that He
might teach us a lesson. Frequent prayer tends to strengthen
our wills, so that we become more amenable to God’s pur¬
poses through practice, just as we may become less amenable
through indifference. Exercise of this sort, therefore, is salu¬
tary. The body’s strength is increased by frequent exercise.
Lack of exercise tends to diminish or weaken our bodies. In
fact, persons who refrain from exercise lose even that strength
which is natural to them. In like manner, fortitude of the
soul is enhanced by a course of exercises. The very toil
expended in such practice will, in the end, turn out to be
advantageous rather than useless. Let us give our souls this
nourishment, which, like the bread of God from heaven,10
will, if it is sifted and refined by long meditation, produce
real strength in our hearts. Not without reason is the bread
described as sifted and refined, because we ought with our
whole heart and soul to sift and polish for a long period of
time the teachings of holy Scripture in order that the essence
of that spiritual food may suffuse the very depths of our souls.
Wherefore, if our faith blossoms forth in the spirit of youth,
relinquishing the enfeeblement of age — if our faith should
glow within, adhering to the principle of due division accord¬
ing to the Law, and if we acquire grace by constancy — then

13 Gen. 4.7.

14 C.f. Luke 6.12.

15 Cf. John 6..32.

424

SAINT AMBROSE

we attain to that rich and, so to speak, unctious type of
prayer of which the Prophet speaks: Thou hast anointed
my head with oil.’16 Just as lambs become fat from a plenteous
store of milk and as sheep become sleek from rich pasture
land, so, too, the prayers of the faithful profit much from
drinking in the health-giving words of the Apostles.

(23) If any of the conditions which we have named is
not fulfilled, a sacrifice is not approved. Wherefore Cain was
warned: ‘If you make a righteous sacrifice, you should divide
in no unrighteous way,’ because the world itself, we are told,
was separated into parts. Its previous condition was chaotic,
for ‘the earth was waste and void.’ First of all, light was
created and God called it by name and ‘God divided the
light from the darkness and He called the darkness night.’17
We read of each of the world’s objects created in due order,
of the firmament, the earth, the fruit-bearing trees, and the
various species of animals. Lighter elements, such as air and
fire, were given a higher position, while the heavier elements,
such as water and earth, were placed below them. God
could, of course, have commanded all to be created at the
same time, but He preferred to keep them separate. This
procedure we now follow in all our business affairs and
especially in our social amenities. It is not sufficient to return
what you actually received. You must make the return an
acceptable one. To slight in any way a person to whom you
feel indebted is much more vexatious than not to pay a debt
at all. Therefore, it is the spirit in which you act and the
very way in which you make your acknowledgment that
count, rather than the material itself of your presentation.
In this way, it is true, a person makes an offering which
follows the pattern of correctness sufficient to indicate his

16 Ps. 22.5.

17 Gen. 1.2,3.

CAIN AND ABEI. TWO

425

devotion and his gratitude. Still, such a person has not yet
made a due distinction. He ought, first of all, to give first-fruits
to God so as to attain God’s favor. In fact, the division
should proceed in the following way: What is primary
should precede what is secondary, rather than contrariwise.
What belongs to heaven should take precedence over what
is of the earth — not the earthly over what belongs to the
heavens.

Chapter 7

(24) Because Cain disturbed this order, he was told:
‘Thou hast sinned. Hold thy peace!’ All this is the teaching
of God: first, that you should not sin, as He had warned
Adam; and, second, that, if you have fallen into sin, you
should hold your peace, as Cain was instructed to do. We
ought to condemn sin and be ashamed of it. We should not
apologize for it, because by our shame our fault is diminished,
whereas sin is increased by our attempts to justify it. We
undergo correction by keeping silent, whereas we stumble
into error by our contentions. Let there be at least a feeling
of humiliation where there is no occasion for forgiveness.
Hence we have the statement: ‘The just is first accuser of
himself.’ Elsewhere we read the words of the Lord Himself:
‘Tell if thou hast anything to justify thyself.’2 How great is
the power of shamefacedness, which obtains that justice
which the accusation of guilt has taken away! And so He
says: ‘Hold thy peace,’ since you have no excuse to offer.
You have it in your power to be weaned away from sin. The
blame is not to be laid on one’s brother, but the wrong-doing
is to be attributed to the one who is really to blame. ‘The sin
returns to you,’ we are told — the sin which began with you.

1 Gen. 4.7.

2 Prov. 18.17; Isa. 43.26.

426

SAINT AMBROSE

You cannot plead necessity rather than intent. Your wicked¬
ness has come back on you like a boomerang. ‘Thou hast
dominion over it.’3

(25) This statement (‘Thou hast dominion over it’) is
well expressed, for impiety is the mother of error and a person
who has once sinned grievously is likely to fall easily into other
sins. How is it possible for man to exercise control over
human things when he has done violence to what is divine?
How can a man who has done injury to God be good in the
eyes of men? It follows, then, that other vices are found in
the wake of serious implications of immorality, since derelic¬
tions, once entered upon, lead to others. You have dominion,
therefore, over your own acts; you are master of your own
transgressions. You cannot enter a plea of ignorance or of
compulsion. You are subject to trial as a voluntary defend¬
ant. It was not by accident or by guile that you put yourself
in the category of one accused of inflicting injury on God.

Chapter 8

( 26 ) When you are admonished, then, to hold your peace,
your conscience is aroused and your crimes become flagrant.
What, therefore, is the meaning of the words, ‘Let us go into
the field?’1 Does it mean that a place devoid of plant life2
is chosen by Cain for the murder of his brother? What place
was more fitting for this murder than one that was barren?
Nature, it seems, had purposely denied germinating powers
to a place destined for such a crime, because it was not fitting
that, contrary to nature, this soil should on the one hand

3 Gen. 4.7.

1 Gen. 4.8.

2 Cf. Sallust, Bellum Jug. 79.6.

CAIN AND ABEL: TWO

427

share in the contagion of parricidal blood and at the same
time bring forth fruit in accordance with the laws of nature.
When Cain said : ‘Let us go forth into the field,’ his words had
meaning. He did not say: ‘Let us go forth into the Garden
where fruit grows plentifully, into a cultivated and productive
place.’ As a matter of fact, we know that parricides cannot
obtain for themselves the fruit of their crimes. They expend
time and effort in a frightful act af impiety, yet they cannot
attain their objective. They shun places that have been blest
by nature’s benignity. We have the example of Cain, who
seems to have been afraid that a land productive of such
goodly crops might be an impediment to his ghastly crime.
He seems to have feared that the lushness of vegetable life
with its variety of germinating fruits might by its mute
appeal, even in the act of perpetating his crime, bring back
to him his affection for his own brother. The highwayman
shuns daylight, a witness of his crime. The adulterer blushes
to see the light of day discover him. In like manner the
parricide avoids land that is fertile. How could he bear to
behold the common association of plants for productivity
who was face to face with one who was bound to him by
relationship of blood? Joseph was thrown into a dry pit.
Amnon was slain in his owp house.3 Nature, therefore, by
withholding her gifts from those places which were to be wit¬
nesses of a parricidal act and by her condemnation of innocent
soil, makes clear to us the severity of the future punishments
of the guilty. The very elements are, therefore, condemned
because of the crime of men. Hence David condemned the
mountains, in which Jonathan and his father were slain,
to be punished with perpetual sterility, saying: ‘Ye mountains
of Gelboe, let neither dew nor rain come upon you, mountains
of death.’4

3 Cf. Gen. 37.24; 3 Kings 13.28.

4 2 Kings 1.21.

428

SAINT AMBROSE

Chapter 9

(27) Now let us examine the reason why God, as if He
were unaware that Abel was slain, asked Cain: ‘Where is
your brother?’ But we are shown God’s knowledge, when
Cain’s attempt to deny his guilt is offset by the statement:
‘The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the
ground.’1 A profounder meaning may be seen here in God’s
exhortation that sinners do penance, for confession of guilt
leads to a lessening of punishment. Hence, in the civil courts,
those who deny their guilt are put on the rack, whereas an
admission of guilt tends to mercy on the part of the judge.
To confess his guilt — not to evade his guilt, but to admit it —
indicates that the sinner humbly awaits his sentence. Ad¬
mission of guilt placates the judge, whereas denial rouses his
opposition. God wishes to stir you up to seek pardon. He
wants you to look for indulgence from Himself. He wishes
to have it made clear by your admission that He is not
responsible for your wrong-doing. Those who, like the Gen¬
tiles, place the responsibility for their sins on some external
force, inherent in God’s decree or in His work, seem to bring
God to court as one who is responsible for their sins. According
to this theory, a person does not of his own will commit a
murder if his actions are the result of some external force.
However, we cannot condone those acts which emanate from
ourselves, whereas we tend to excuse those that are beyond
our own control. That the Author, not of your guilt, but of
your innocence, should be made a partaker of the shame of
your crime is a conception of a much more serious nature
than the sin itself.

(28) Consider the parricide’s feply: ‘I do not know. Am
I my brother’s keeper?’ Although this reply savors of insolence,

1 Gen. 4.10.

CAIN AND ABEL : TWO

429

there is still the implication that, considering the goodness
of his brother, Cain should by his actions make known his
loyalty to him. Who is there to whom he is more bound by
necessity to offer protection? But how could that person who
did not recognize the influence of family bonds have been
expected to observe what is expedient in relations of brotherly
love? Or how was it possible for him to comply with the
laws of nature when he did not show reverence even to God?
The existence of God is denied, as if He were unaware of
Cain’s act. Cain shirks his duty to be his brother’s keeper, as
if this were beyond the bounds of nature’s laws. He steers
away from judgment, as if he were above judgment. Why
do you feel astonishment at the fact that he did not acknowl¬
edge his loyalty to his brother, if he did not even recognize
his own Creator? From these incidents in Scripture we learn
the lesson that faith is the root of all virtues. Wherefore the
Apostle says: ‘Our foundation is Christ’ and whatever you
build on this foundation is uniquely profitable and conducive
to reward for virtuous acts.2

(29) A fitting reply, therefore, was given by the Lord to
one who so foolishly denied committing the crime: ‘The
voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.’3
This means: ‘why are you ignorant of your brother’s where¬
abouts? You were alone with him along with your parents.
Among so few people, the presence of your brother should
not have escaped your notice. Or are you relying on the fact
that your parents are unable to play the part of accuser? I
am unwilling to concede that a relationship founded on
protection should become based on hazard and that in your
case alone nature should revoke her laws. Do you think,
then, that your crime would pass unnoticed just because
your parents feel it their duty not to accuse you? Rather, you

2 Cf. 1 Cor. 3.11,12.

3 Gen. 4.10.

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SAINT AMBROSE

should be condemned all the more severely for taking that
stand. Granted that those dear relatives of yours ought not
to accuse you or even think of slaying you. But if you do not
recognize Me as a witness of the act, there still is the voice
of your brother’s blood which cries out to Me to bear witness.
That voice carries more conviction that if your brother was
still living. You were alone. Who else could have slain him?
If you accuse your parents, you charge them with* the crime
of parricide. The person who has no mercy on his parents
is capable of killing his own brother. A person who proposes
to show that his parents are parricides could well be a par¬
ricide himself. It was well said that “the voice of blood cries
out,” not “the voice of your brother.” In the very throes
of death your brother preserves his innocence and his brotherly
devotion. Your brother does not bring an accusation, lest it
should appear to be one of parricide. It is not his voice that
accuses nor is it his mind. Rather, is it the voice of that very
blood which you shed. Your brother, therefore, is not your
accuser. Your accuser is your own deed of wickedness.’ At
this point the accused person is unable to defend himself,
because one who admits that he is guilty cannot rely on the
evidence of witnesses. The deed speaks for itself. Moreover,
the earth which received the blood also stands as a witness
of the deed.

(30) It was well said: ‘The voice of your brother’s blood
cries from the ground.’ He did not say ‘cries from your
brother’s body,’ but ‘cries from the earth.’ Although his
brother refrains, the earth does not. If his brother is silent,
the earth condemns. The earth acts as both witness and judge
against you. The earth, still wet with the blood of your slain
brother, is a hostile witness. As a judge, the earth, befouled
by such a crime, is even more antagonistic, inasmuch as she
opened her mouth and received your brother’s blood shed

CAIN AND ABEL : TWO

431

by your own hand. When she opened her mouth, she expected
indeed to receive words of. brotherly love. She had no fears
when she saw the two brothers. She was aware that the
relation of consanguinity was an incentive to love, not to
hate. How could the earth have a suspicion of parricide,
when she had not yet seen a homicide? But you shed blood
for which the earth in retaliation ‘will not give her fruit to
you.’4 How guileless was that act of revenge! She who was
so seriously outraged limited herself to the act of withholding.
She refrained from inflicting injury.

(31) No mean doctrine is expressed in the words, ‘The
voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me.’5 God gives ear
to the just even in death, since they live unto God. And rightly
are they considered to be alive, because, even if they have
tasted the death of the body, they still enjoy a bodiless life
and are illuminated with the splendor of their merits and
are basking in light eternal.6 God beholds, therefore, the
blood of the just. He turns aside from the prayers of the
impious, since, even if they appear to be alive, they are
more miserable than all of the dead. They surround them¬
selves with flesh as with a sepulcher in which they have
entombed their unhappy souls. What other comparison can
be made? The soul is shrouded in earth and is bound by
the inordinate desires of avarice and of other vices, so that
it cannot breathe the air of heavenly grace. A sinner of this
sort has been cursed by earth, which is the lowest and meanest
constituent in this world of ours. The higher parts are, of
course, the heavens and what exists in heaven, the sun, the
moon, the stars, Thrones, Dominations, Principalities and
Powers,7 Cherubim and Seraphim. There is no doubt, there-

4 Gen. 4..12.

5 Gen. 4.10.

6 Cf. Rom. 6.10-13.

7 Cf. Col. 1.16.

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SAINT AMBROSE

fore, that the person condemned by the inferior parts of the
world is condemned, too, by the superior. How can Cain,
when he is not absolved by the earth, be absolved by the
righteous decisions made there above? Hence he is com¬
manded to be ‘a fugitive on the earth, groaning and
trembling.’8

(32) There is no disputing the fact that the wicked are
confronted with evil and always will be. Present evils cause
sadness; future evils, dread; but the wicked are more per¬
turbed by present evils than by those in the future. Wherefore
Cain said the Lord: ‘My punishment is too great to bear.
If you abandon me today, I shall hide myself from your
face.’9 There is nothing more grievous than to be a wanderer
and to be irrevocably bereft of God. With a sinner’s death
there comes an end of sinning, whereas his life, deprived of
God, his Pilot, suffers shipwreck and disaster. If the shepherd
abandons his flock, the wild beasts make their inroads. In
like manner, when God deserts man, the Devil makes his
entrance. To be deprived of a guide is a matter of serious
consequence for the foolish. When no physician is at hand,
there is occasion for diseases to creep in and inflict more
injur)'. The man who desires to hide his faults and cover up
his sins goes into concealment. The man who does wrong
hates the light of day and waits for darkness to serve his
iniquities. The just man, however, is apt not to conceal
himself from his Lord and God. Rather, he desires to offer
himself to God, saying: ‘Behold, I am here as one whose
conscience is clear and who fears no detection.’

(33) With reason, therefore, does the man who is conscious
of evil hide himself and say: ‘Whoever finds me will kill
me.’10 The man of limited vision is afraid when death has

8 Gen. 4.12.

9 Gen. 4.13.

10 Gen. 4.14.

CAIN AND ABEL: TWO

433

come upon him. He pays no heed to the continuous presence
of death. The judgment of God is ignored and his sole
concern is his body’s decease. But from what source did he
fear death whose parents were the only living beings on
earth? There was the possibility that one who broke the
ordinances of the Law of God could have had fears of an
attack from wild beasts. A person who taught man how to
kill could not have assumptions regarding the rest of the
animal kingdom. A person who showed how the crime of
parricide could be committed might well fear a parricidal
act on the part of his own parents. The parents could learn
that lesson from their son which later generations learned
from their parents.

(34) Now let us consider the reason for God’s statement,
‘Whoever kills Cain shall be punished sevenfold,’11 and why
a token was placed upon him so that no one should kill him,
a parricide. A provision was made to protect a person against
the slaying of an innocent man. Besides the five bodily senses,
man has the power of speech and the ability to propagate.
He also has an eighth power, the power of reason.12 The
other powers are subject to death unless they are subject to
the control of reason. Wherefore, the man who is without
reason in exercising these faculties incurs danger to himself.
A loss of reason, therefore, bring with it an ineffectual use
of these seven bodily gifts. They have no efficacy without the
saving bonds of reason. The number seven of which we speak
has better uses. It conveys ideas of rest and remission.13 The
person, therefore, who has not spared the life of a sinner has
begrudged him the opportunity for the remission of his sins
and at the same time deprived him of all hopes of remission.

11 Gen. 4.15.

12 Cf. St. Ambrose, Letter to Horontianus, in Letters, trans. Sister Mary

Beyenka. O. P., Fathers of the Church 26 (New York 1954) 264-265.

13 Cf. Gen. 2.3.

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SAINT AMBROSE

He will, in fact, be subject in equal measure to divine justice.

(35) As regards the token God placed on Cain with the
purpose of protecting him from death at the hands of another,
this may be said. He wanted the wanderer to have time for
reflection and by such kindness inspire him to change his
ways. It generally happens that we entrust ourselves more
readily to those persons to whom we are indebted. The favor
granted to him was not great. Yet it was enough to scotch
the foolish actions of a stupid man. This man, although
liable to eternal punishment, did not demand that the pun¬
ishment be remitted. He believed that he should plead for
his life on this earth where there is more anxiety than
pleasure. Death consists in the severance of the body from
the soul and is at the same time the termination of our life
here. With the coming of death, man’s bodily sufferings are
ready to cease, not to increase. The fears, in fact, which
frequently haunt us in this present life — the griefs, pains,
lamentations, and tortures of varied sort, the mutilations
provoked by exposure to illness and disease — all these for
mankind are more often the equivalent of death. Death under
such circumstances truly appears to be a mercy, not a penalty
which has the character of finality. By a sentence such as
this our life is not taken away. We experience a life that is
far better. When the wicked who are unwilling to quit the
paths of sin leave this life, they reach, without their knowing
it, not a goal set by nature, but a terminus for their wrong¬
doing. Those men who are indentured to sin are thus pre¬
vented from doing other deeds of wickedness. If, again, men
are seen to have fulfilled life’s expectations, they are believed
to have migrated to another world and not to have foundered
here below.

(36) This is an opportune time to discuss the question of
the spirituality of the soul. Truly happy is that life when

CAIN AND ABEL : TWO

435

every man who is conscious of having lived well has cast aside
the trapping of his flesh and has freed himself from this prison
of the body.14 Then we are free to fly to that place above,
where our souls once groaned in the act of commingling with
the bodily passions of this flesh of ours. Our souls were des¬
tined there to complete the task appointed by our Pilot,
namely, by the use of reason to bring under subjection the
irrational emotions of our bodies. This is why the Prophets
were late in accompanying the Jewish people into captivity.
Otherwise, the rest of the people would have been deprived
of the guidance and counsel of holy men and would thus
have undergone more serious calamities. With their presence
the people would be likely to be stirred on hearing words of
encouragement and thus be induced to pay homage to the
Lord, their God. The people, overwhelmed by the adversities
of captivity, could thus avoid the sin of perfidy and not
despair of their eternal salvation.

(37) At this point it is opportune to refute the arguments
of those who believe that this life here is the only one — a life
subject to calamity and to grief. Our refutation rests on a
simple alignment of facts. We have in Cain and Abel two
contrasting characters. One was just, innocent and loyal.
Because of the acceptability of his offerings to God he incurred
the hatred of his brother and, while still a youth, become a
victim of the sin of parricide. The other brother was unjust,
evil, and disloyal. Polluted even with a brother’s blood, he
lived to a ripe old age, married, left a family and founded
cities — all this under the providence of God. Is not this a clear
case for divine intervention? You are wrong in assuming that
we have here an example of a life of pleasure. You do not take
into account a prolonged old age, steeped in misery — an old
age that experienced those anxieties that time inevitably

14 Cf. Cicero, De republica 6.14.

436

SAINT AMBROSE

brings in its wake. Add to this the fact that we are subject
to disasters every moment of our lives. Surrounded by mon¬
sters like Scylla, are we not continually exposed to the poun¬
dings of a thunderous sea and compelled to dwell as best we
can in habitations of sheer rock in the manner of that mon¬
strous animal — a monster, not merely of immemorial time,
but of immemorial wickedness?1 5 Hence, Cain’s old age is
not to be considered as something desirable. It was, rather,
an occasion for punishment, inasmuch as he lived in the
midst of fears and spent his extended period of time in
fruitless labors. There is no penalty more grievous than that
which conscious guilt imposes. Behold, then, the perpetuity
of life which the just enjoy — an enjoyment in which the
wicked have no share! The blood of the just man who has
suffered death cries out to God, whereas the sinner’s life is
like that of a fugitive from justice.16

(38) Once the crime is admitted at the very inception of
this sinful act of parricide, then the divine Law of God’s
mercy should be immediately extended. If punishment is
forthwith inflicted on the accused, then men in the exercise
of justice would in no way observe patience and moderation,
but would straightway condemn the defendant to punish¬
ment. God in His providence gives this sort of verdict so that
magistrates might learn the virtues of magnanimity and
patience, that they may not be unduly hasty in their eager¬
ness to punish or, because of immature deliberation, condemn
a man in his innocence. This would serve as a precedent not
to impose a harsh penalty on some troublesome defendant
and at the same time not permit a person to go unpunished
who has shown no indications that he is sorry for his crime.
God drove Cain out of His presence17 and sent him into

15 Scylla betrayed her own father.

16 Cf. Gen. 4.10-12.

17 Cf. Gen. 4.16.

CAIN AND ABEL: TWO

437

exile far away from his native land, so that he passed from
a life of human kindness to one which was more akin to the
rude existence of a wild beast. God, who preferred the
correction rather than the death of a sinner,18 did not desire
that a homicide be punished by the exaction of another act
of homicide. Wherefore, punishment is meeted out seventy
times sevenfold on Lamech,19 because a person who does
not reform even after a conviction has taken place commits
a more serious fault. Cain had sinned at a time previous to
Lamech’s crime. Lamech surely should have taken precau¬
tions to avoid what he notes as reprehensible in another
person. Lamech’s statement was in accordance with the
decree of his Judge that no one should on any occasion
consider it right to strike a guilty man. From the point of
view of our faith, no one ought to slay a person who in the
course of nature still would have time for repentance up to
the very moment of his death. A guilty man — provided a
premature punishment had not deprived him of life- — could
well procure forgiveness by redeeming himself by an act of
repentance, however belated.

18 Cf. Ezech. 33.11.

19 Cf. Gen. 4.24.; 'Sevenfold vengeance shall be taken for Cain.’

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INDEX

Abel, 360-367; prototype of
Church, 362

Abraham, 8-9; efficacious vow of,
386-387; Isaac his heir, 381-
382; baking of loaves, 392
Acipenseres, 160 n.

Adam, terrestial image of God,
255; opinions on his failure to
obey God’s command, 308-309;
participates in Eve’s sin, 312;
agent of his own death, 313;
God’s awareness of his sin,
315; outside Paradise and
placed therein, 301-302; and
animals, 238-239; and Eve, 344
Agar, 381

ages, of world, 299

air, element in Creation, 159

Aisthesis, figurative of the first
woman, 293; means ‘sense,’
294, 329
Amalec, 14

Ambrose, St,, and St. Basil’s
Hexameron, vi; echoes of Vir¬
gil, vii; of Horace and Cicero,
viii; style, viii; Hymns, ix,
377 n.

Amphiscii, 147
Andrews, A. C., 164 n.
animals of the land: nature of
horse, donkey, partridge, leop¬
ard, 233; upright position of
man, 233-234; lessons from ant
and watchdog, 235-236; faith¬
ful, as watchdogs of Church,
236; Raphael and his dog 237;

441

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nature of bear, serpent, tor¬
toise, 237-238; swallows and
spring 238; nature of sheep,
hedgehogs, 238-239; keenness
and faithfulness of dogs, 238-
239; lioness and young, 240-
241; innocence of the lamb,
243-244; wolf’s fierceness lost,
244; animals and their natural
remedies, 244-245; differences
in use of eyes in animals and
men, 276; in use of hearing,
276; Adam named first ani¬
mals, 328; Adam’s beasts,
man’s senses, 329
ant, 235-236
Anthropos, 259 n.
antrum, 37 n.

Apelles, 306
Apollo, 252
Aristotle, 3-4
Arius, 338; Arians, 254
Ascii, 147 n.

Ashmodeus, 237
Asilas, 305

astrology, irrationality of, 135-
136

avarice, 379

Bardenhewer, O., vi n.

Basil, St., vi, 218 n.
bat, 223

beauty, true in a work of creat¬
ive art, 65
bear, 237-238

bees, comunity of offspring, 212;
loyalty to king, 213, 216; dis¬
cipline of, 214-215; gathering
of honey, 215-216
Beyenka, Sister Mary, ix n.
birds, creation of, 191ff.; songs
of, 193; water birds, 194-195,
lessons from life of halcyon,
195; geese in Roman capitol,
197; flying and swimming,
197; as examples for our life,
200ff.; loyalty in storks, 204;
in swallows, 205; among crows,
207; chastity in turtle doves,
210; virgin birth and vultures,
212; design in bodies of birds,
217; evening song of, 221;
owl’s vision, 222; bat’s webbed
feet, 223; cock’s crow and
Peter, 224

Cain, 349ff.; means ‘getting,’
360; pattern for school that
everything is product man’s
mind, 360; prototype of syna¬
gogue, 362; becomes tiller of
soil, 367ff.; offering to Lord
of fruits of earth a twofold
error, 383ff.

Cicero, vii, viii, 4, 36, 49, 50, 77,
90, 93, 104, 106, 136, 165, 193,
205, 271, 275, 299, 402, 410,
414, 435
Claudian, 240
Clement of Rome, 219

442

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contraries, agreement of, 415
Creation, beginning and end of,
10-11; in Spring, 13; in capite,
15; the work and the Worker,
16; of angels, 18; of elements,
19; Isaias on, 20; creation of
earth 20ff.; David on foun-
ation of, 21; earth invisible,
28; earth not immortal, 29;
creation of seas, 30; of sun, 31;
work of Holy Spirit, 32; cre¬
ation of light, 38-39; of water,
67ff.; water as type of Christ,
70; creation of dry land, 71,
80; of springs, 73; enlarge¬
ment of space, 78; and passim
crow, 207

Cunningham, M. V., viii

Dante, 127 n.

Darius the Mede, 76
darkness, reason for, in crea¬
tion, 31

day, meaning of, 42ff.; light of,
differs from that of sun and
moon, 132; its division from
night, 132ff.; superstition
about fourth day, 158; sixth
day and wreath of victory, 227
death, often a lesser evil, 434
Democritus, 49
Diederich, Sister Mary, vii
dogs, 235-239
donkey, 233

dove, 210
Dudden, F. D., v

earth, shape of, 53; circumfer¬
ence of, 231; uselessness of
such knowledge to Moses,
231-232

Ecdesia, 407 n.

elements, in balance, 57-58, 80-81
Elias, 364

Eliseus, and iron floating on
water, 74; his simple dinner
of bitter herbs, 229-230
Ennius, 90 n.

Enos, 300
Esau, 361
Ethiopia, 297
Eunomius, 91

Euphrates, river in Paradise,
295, 298

Eve, first to be deceived, 301-302;
sin of, 312-313, 349-350; and
Adam, 325-327, 344
evil, necessary to know good
and, 314; opinions on, gained
from Word of God, 317; and
foreknowledge of God, 318

Festugiere, A. J., 141 n.
firmament, meaning of, 48-49,
51-52, 62, 69
first-fruits, 406ff.
fishes, created in sea, 162-163;
marvels of, 168ff.; Peter the
Fisherman, 171; sea-urchins

443

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and presentiments of storms,
178; recognize their own
bounds, 180-181; planned mi¬
grations of, 182-183; oysters,
188; ‘golden fleece’ and dyes,
188; Jonas and whale, 189
flowers, 102
fruits, 112ff.

geese, 197
Giet, S., 153 n. 4
Gihon, a river in Paradise, 295,
297

God, not just a Designer but a
Creator of heaven and earth,
46; the Son, the invisible
image of 64; found rest in His
own image, man, 261; as Artist
created soul of man, 259ff.;
soul of man, glory of, 263;
question of His foreknowl¬
edge and beneficence, 318;
man given means of grace by,
320; His voice not of the
body, 347

Harnack, 306 n.

heavens, stars of incomparable,
265

Henoch, 300-301
Hippolytus, 123 n.
honey, as medicine, 216
Horace, viii, 151, 154, 181, 195,
239, 245, 265, 267

horse, 233

hyle, original matter, 3

Isaac, gathered to his kin, 362;

type of Incarnation, 363
Isaias, sin and the shadow of
death, 307

Isidore, 148, 164, 299, 368

Jacob, pattern of good, 361-362;
faith and continence of, 381;
a shepherd, 382
Jethro, 382-383
Jubal, 26
Judas, 417

Justice, best exemplified in pa¬
tience and moderation, 436

Kuhnmuench, O. J., 223

Labriolle, P. de, viii, 34
lakes, in Italy, 79
lamb, 243-244
Lamech, and Cain, 437
Lazarus, 39-40
leopard, 233

Levites, offer mentality of old
age, 414; cities of, 415
life, refutation of arguments
against eternal existence of,
435-436

lioness, 240-241

Lucretius, viii, 13, 56, 59, 150,
151, 183, 227, 276; atoms of, 7
luxury, of rich with compen-

444

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sations for poor, 266; tempta¬
tions equal for both, 267

Man, image of God, 91; origin
of, 228-229; upright position
of, 233-234; weakness of, 257;
made a hunter of grace by
God, 263; fisher and soldier
for Christ, 263-264; all men
equal in death, 265; organ of
voice of God, 276; kindliness
of his kiss, 277; his mouth a
fount of disputation, 278; his
body formed like a palace,
278; his arms and hands con¬
ciliators for peace, 278; wicker¬
work of chest, 278-279; his
internal organs, 279; his veins
and genitals, 280-281; his legs
express humility and faith, 281
Manichaeans, 34, 91
Manilius, 139
Marcio, sect of, 34
medicine: brain as gathering
point of senses, 273; function
of hearing, 274; design of the
ear and nose, 274-275; sense
of touch, function of mouth
and tongue, 275
Melchisedech, 8-9
Mesopotamia, 295
moon, type of the Church, 131,
156; its light diminishes, not
its mass, 131; waxing and
waning due to divine purpose,

152; tides, 153; lessons from
its changes, 154; magical tales
of, 157-158; suffused light of,
266

Moses, 5-6; figure of one to teach
Law, 363; died by word of
God, 364; sepulcher unknown,
365; and passim
Mullach, 83, 127

nature, barren places of, suited
for crime, 426-427, 431
Nisan, 158
Noe, 301

nous, ‘mind,’ figurative of first
man, 294

numbers, lift moral tone, 413

old Age, importance of, for
Church and State, 414
Origen, 123
ourunos, 60, 216
Ovid, 56, 127, 186, 319
owl, 222
oysters, 188

Paradise, its place and nature,
287-288; situated in East, 301;
God its Creator, 288; many
trees in, 288; place called ‘de¬
light,’ 289; tree of knowledge
of good and evil, 290ff.; ser¬
pent’s presence due to will of
God, 291; Devil in Paradise,
292ff. ; rivers in, arise from

445

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well-tilled soul, 296; consid¬
ered as soul of man, 329; rea¬
son of ejection from 330; Paul
caught up into, 331
Pasch, 12
Parsons, W., 168
Petronius, 129

Pharao, 6-7; prince of the word,
14; and plague in Egypt, 390
pharisee, parable of, 390
Philo, ix, x, 12, 42, 294, 303, 389
Phison, river in Paradise, 295-
296

phoenix, symbol of the Resur¬
rection, 219-220
Photinus, 91, 338
plants, like produce like, 92;
examples of Providence in
growth of, 93-94; function of
poisonous plants, 95-96; in¬
tegrity preserved in seeds of,
99; contribution of labor, 101;
lessons from vine, 103-104;
vine, symbol of the Church,
104ff. ; its cultivation, 107;
curative plants, 112
Plato, 3-4

pleasure, a woman who dwells
within us, 369ff.; a prostitute
with enticing ways, 370-371;
palace of, 370ff.; the young
man tempted, 373-374
Pliny, 65, 117, 245
prayer, conditions for validity
of, 393; import of the Lord’s,

383; frequent, 394-395; length
of, 423

Pythagoras, 4, 50

Rand, E. K., viii
Raphael, and his dog, 237
reason, an eighth power, 433
Rebecca, 361

Resurrection, date of, 158
Robbins, T. L., vii

Sabellius, 338
Sabinus, ix
sacrifice, 416
Sallust, 90, 247, 258, 426
Scari, 160

Scriptures, Holy, Syriac and He¬
brew version compared, 33;
Septuaginst and Vulgate, 305;
Old and New Testaments by
same Author, 316; Quotations
from or references to Biblical
writers or Biblical books:

Acts, 64, 91, 136, 157, 171, 251,
325

Aggeus, 22, 127
Amos, 43

Apocalypse, 14, 256, 336
Baruch, 113, 226, 378, 391
Canticles, 108, 111, 121, 122,
145, 146, 152, 252, 262,373,377
Colossians, 15, 18, 47, 51, 53,
220, 240, 253, 254, 306
Corinthians, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14,
36, 50, 51, 64, 138, 157, 181,
185, 219, 253, 258, 260, 262,

446

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264, 265, 277, 289, 302, 317,
331, 334, 345, 351, 353, 354,

379, 382
Daniel, 60

Deuteronomy, 61, 120, 133,
165, 209, 252, 255, 265, 267,

346, 350, 362-364, 369, 383, 385
Ecclesiastes, 22, 75, 268, 376,

380, 385, 402, 422
Ecclesiasticus, 43, 154, 261, 376
Ephesians, 53, 155, 302, 334,
402

Exodus, 12, 13, 15, 47, 221,
254, 297, 324, 355, 364, 387,
389, 390, 397, 399, 402, 404,
406, 408, 409, 411, 412, 416
E2echiel, 291, 321, 324
Galatians, 156, 299, 324, 344,
351, 355, 363, 371
Genesis, passim (over 125 di¬
rect and indirect quotations,
chiefly from the first four
books)

Hebrews, 9, 16, 17, 64, 300,

347, 407

Isaias, 9, 20, 27, 30, 33, 58, 69,
70, 78, 88, 89, 104, 109, 143,
164, 182, 220, 231, 236, 255,
261, 262, 266, 277, 278, 282,
307, 342, 347, 350, 355, 366,
387, 391

Jeremias, 9, 75, 113, 120, 234,
235, 238, 263, 372
Job, 20-23, 26, 33, 75, 78, 127,
179, 366, 378

Joel, 43, 146

John, 14, 15, 17, 27, 30, 32, 38,

64, 70, 76, 106, 127, 131, 155,

254, 255, 294, 316, 319, 321,

338, 339, 347, 355, 386, 388,

389, 417

Jonas, 136, 190

Kings, 68, 229, 352, 362, 391,

427

Lamentations, 237, 259
Leviticus, 339, 347, 420
Luke, 20, 38, 47, 49, 85, 105,
130, 135, 147, 169, 171, 195,
210, 263, 277, 293, 332, 337,
345, 346, 374, 377, 378, 380,
388, 391, 405, 418, 421
Malachias, 127
Mark, 100, 101, 251
Matthew, 25, 44, 47, 61, 63,
85, 88, 95, 105, 120, 122, 129,
130, 135, 142, 146, 180, 189,
218, 224, 262, 266, 273, 288,
300, 303, 316, 321, 351, 363,
369, 374, 380, 381, 387, 394,
395, 399, 407, 411, 422
Micheas, 288, 344, 345
Numbers, 14, 36, 308, 389, 405,
407, 408, 417
Osee, 206

Peter, 88, 224, 263, 302, 411
Philippian*, 55, 106, 127, 155,
163, 258, 261, 353, 354, 364,
366, 375
Philemon, 108

Proverbs, 11, 12, 15, 104, 175,

447

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178, 181, 205, 220, 236, 267,

295, 344, 350, 370-374, 377,

378, 393, 425

Psalms, 8, 16-18, 21, 22, 25, 28,
31-34, 36, 39, 40, 42, 47, 49,
54, 60, 62, 68, 70, 73, 80, 89,
94, 101, 104, 107, 109, 127,
129-132, 147-149, 154-156, 161,
173, 180, 230, 233, 239, 250,

251, 255, 263, 265, 273, 276-

278, 281, 283, 288, 289, 294,

296, 297, 303, 321-323, 337,

342, 346, 348, 349, 354, 362,

365, 375, 378, 389, 391, 393,

398, 419, 421, 424
Romans, 15, 16, 18, 23, 43,
108, 128, 155, 156, 259, 318,
324, 325, 331, 332, 341, 365,
377, 386, 416
Thessalonians, 405
Timothy, 27, 38, 212, 220, 292,
324, 327, 334, 337, 338, 351
Tobias, 355

Wisdom, 11, 27, 117, 260, 289,
332, 367, 388, 402

Scylla, 436

seas: Dead Sea, 19; Atlantic
Ocean, 153, various names
for, 77; Red Sea higher than
Egyptian Sea, 76
sea-urchins, 178

seleukis, devourer of locusts, 221
serpent, 237-238, 172ff., 251;

meaning of its existence in

Paradise, 293-294; cunning
and envy of, 332-333, 342,
351-352

Servius, 37, 197
sheep, 238-239
silkworm, 218

sin, to be condemned, not apol¬
ogized for, 425; God not re¬
sponsible for, 428; time an
occasion for remission of, 433
soul, of man, powerful, 256;
made to image of God, 257;
able to see places beyond the
horizon, 258; without sex, 400;
offspring of, 401-402; spirit¬
uality of, 434-435
species, creation of, 246-247;
examples of adaptation to
environment, of elephant and
camel, 240-241; use of ele¬
phant in war, 248-249; effect
of tiny animals on large ones,
250; creation of serpents for
our instruction, 251
Springer, Sister Mary Theresa,
vii

sun, its heat modified by vapor,
58-59; heaven and earth form¬
ed before sun, 126-127; eye
of world, 127; of Justice, 127;
a servant, not a master, 128;
action of, 145
swallows, 205, 238
Symmachus, 305
synagogue, 145

448

Thales, 6

Thymallus, 163 n.

Thursday, Holy, 225 n.

Tigris, 295, 298
Tobias, 237
tortoise, 237-238

trees, varieties of, 102; utility of,
107; diversities of, 109; lessons
from growth and care of, 110-
111; gums and amber from
Orient, 116; art of pine cone
and in tamarisk, 119-120; ever¬
green and deciduous trees,
120-121; fig tree and Adam
and Eve, 344
Turner, W., 24 n.

Valentinus, sect of, 34
vapor, 56 n.

Verpertilio, 223 n.
victory, close to defeat, 409
Virgil, Quotations from or re¬
flections of his major works:
Aeneicl, vii, 27, 37, 55, 64, 73,
75, 89, 107, 109, 134, 159, 161,
164, 176, 189, 197, 199, 200,
204, 210, 215, 221, 222, 228,
239, 241, 264, 266, 270, 415,
419

Eclogues, 56, 108, 120, 125,
153, 158, 194, 200, 243, 410
Georgies, vii, 13, 30, 84, 92-95,
98, 107, 108, 121, 152, 155, 158,
163, 178, 179, 188, 193, 194,

197, 199-201, 213-218, 222, 269,
274, 275, 278, 403

virtue, a woman who dwells
within us, 369ff., her dis¬
course, 371-380

vow, commendability of, 391-
392; delay in, 396; aid of oath,
398; conditions of, 424
vulture, example of virgin birth,
212

Walpole, A. S., 223
Walsh, G. G., viii
water, kept in place by being
balanced, 56; changes of, 115;
and fertility, 117; in creation,
IGOff.

whale, 189

wine, temperate use of, 122;

dean vessels for, 125
wisdom, creative, proofs of ex¬
istence of, 88ff. ; banquet hall
of, 377; inebriation of the
mind, 378

woman, created in Paradise, first
to be deceived, 301-302; cre¬
ation considered good, 325-
326; created after man, 327;
admitted her sin, 349-350;
furnishes human succession,
400

Zacchaeus, 417

449

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